Metas

"Where are we going?" Jyriah asked in confusion as Metas took him down a path he did not recognize.

"We're going through a secret passageway. It's the fastest way to get in without being spotted right away," Metas answered as they ran on all fours as fast as they could towards the mountain.

"Oh - cool," Jyriah replied with way too much delight.

The trek was fine until they got to an area they had to squeeze through. Metas struggled to get through, and the way his back legs at to flatten to get into the crawl space made it hard for him to not laugh - so he snickered as quietly as possible.

Metas still heard him.

Once Jyriah's head popped through the little opening, Metas had his face right up to his, which caused the grown wold to yip and struggle backwards.

"Haha. I heard you laughing. Don't mess with someone on their own territory," he laughed and backed away to wait for Jyriah to wiggle through as well.

Once they were both through the little crevice, the place really opened up. There looked to be a lot of drawings on the walls, and old human stuff that was junk. He had never seen things from the time of the humans, and so to see a shiny square object project his face back at him - it was a little off-putting.

It was hard for Metas not to notice as Jyriah pawed at his reflection in the cube with the shiny front. "Hey, don't mess with that. I don't know what it does."

"It looks like it does nothing. There are some ugly square gems right here. Have you ever touched them?" Jyriah asked as he moved some dirt and junk out of the way so that he could get a better look.

"No - and you shouldn't either. Anything the humans made is bad. It probably does something harmful. That's all they ever made things for, anyway" Metas warned and turned his back to continue with the mission.

The alpha had known Jyriah for a while now, and just knew by instinct that he was inching his paw towards one of the buttons, he didn't even turn around when he ordered out, "don't."

"Ahg..." Jyriah pouted and followed behind Metas quickly.

"Come on, you need to get focused. Your sister is in danger, and probably locked in a cell. I'm worried that Lara or Ajax hasn't checked in yet. That isn't a good sign in the least," Metas sighed in annoyance. It was all well and good to return doom with sunshine, but now wasn't the time.

"Listen. If I get serious, it means we're in a ton of trouble. I reserve that for past-doom situations. If I start worrying, I'll start freaking out and losing my head in my problems. If you think I don't care about this - you don't know me fully yet. I have everything to lose in this, just like you do. My baby sister is back there all by herself, and my little sister is ill because Silas can't be bothered to do the right thing at any point because he is a selfish, self-serving jerk" Jyriah replied with that flame Metas had heard once before, but it was still jovial.

He wasn't going to admit it right this moment, but Jyriah actually was helping lighten the mood a bit. Maybe he'd try it sometime - but not today.

They had to climb up a literal pile of junk that they thought were simple old relics - but really it was just old, very rusted washing machines, broken engines and random parts of machinery, large TV screens, cracked monitors, a sticky keyboard they used as leverage to get over a slippery metallic slope of a destroyed airplane, and more upwards - old filing cabinets used to climb up vertically that stuck out the side of cement, or melted to the side of the tunnel from heat.

"Do you do this a lot?" Jyriah asked and gasped a little as he pulled himself up to the end of their climb.

"Yes. Only for emergencies. My father didn't even know about this place. When you're unwanted you find places to be. I think you may know what I mean," Metas answered and leaned down so he could help pull Jyriah the rest of the way up to the landing that led to a dead end, and yet was still lit with gold from a bunch of crystals stuck into the rocks that reacted when the Alpha drew near.

"Damn, Metas. I didn't know it was that bad for you. I figured you and Silas had more of a sibling-rivalry kind of thing."

"I wish. No, I was the son they didn't want. If Silas had been my actual litter mate or sibling, I would have been killed a long time ago. They need my blood to make important things work - like locks and vaults."

"So what you're saying is - you have a heart of gold?" Jyriah cracked wise in attempt to get Metas to grin.

It did not work.

"I'm going to the lower fourth landing like you said on the way here. Hopefully they're all there - and alive," Metas informed Jyriah with his back turned to him still.

"What do we do if there is an ambush?" Jyriah asked in order to be prepared.

"Get your sister and Lara out as soon as possible. Leave me behind if you need to" Metas replied so easily.

"What? No. What's the point of anything if you die?" Jyriah argued as he followed his Alpha up a set of crudely carved stairs that had been behind the 'dead end'.

"Revolutions don't die when leaders do. Myranda will carry on my words. Our goals are the same, and she wouldn't give up. It's why I am so in love with her. It's more than her being my mate - she's the perfect female in every way. Trust in your sister and all will be fine," Metas argued in return.

"It's not that I don't trust Myranda - it's the people who follow you. Most of them won't follow a female leader. Without you, she has no power," the soldier argued - he was older than Metas, and honestly felt a little odd taking orders from someone much younger who was so very smart. He was used to telling other people what to do, not the other way around.

Metas stopped walking to turn and look at his pack-brother with glaring eyes, "Myranda has more power than anyone I've ever met. Don't think otherwise, or everything we've worked so hard for will die."

"...alright..." Jyriah said with surprise. He had never had anyone talk more boldly and supportive about his sister before - not even himself.

"Sorry. She's my mate, and my Luna. I truly love her - I won't tolerate anything less than the truth when it comes to Mandy..." Metas sounded a little goofy when he said her newly acquired nickname.

"Hee hee, Mandy..." Jyriah snickered again.

"Hush."

"Aww I was kidding," Jyriah said and rolled his eyes.

"No - hush because there are voices ahead, "Metas whispered back towards his pack-brother.

There were definitely voices - one clear, and one muffled.

It was Ajax and Lara. Metas' concern heightened to an extreme level at their presence, and Lara's muffled voice.