In all that stallion had anticipated from this singular meeting the offering of that tale of the past still came as a surprise. Nadya had spoken of her brother's upbringing at the hands of another to a certain extent and yet there was a marked difference between Nadya's second hand words and those very thoughts that near ravaged Tetradore's mind with a striking potency as he told it himself. Frost the almost unwilling recipient of near all of those images of torment as they bled from the panthers mind and into his own until he could near see those vampire fingers reaching for him in the darkness. Those silver studded collars so alike those bridles and ropes and harnesses that for a singular moment in time Tetradore's torment became his own- the two seeming to blend in a painful portrait of lives lived so far apart and yet with more similarity then Frost cared to admit. Even now, even after those years he had been away from his homeland, those memories seemed to stir his own back to the forefront of his mind until that cold sweat threatened to bead on his skin and give way to that anxiety that he'd forced so far beneath the force he'd almost forgotten it. Damn Tetradore and his fucking story. That singular word slipped from his own lips in response. Frost fighting to grasp at his own control with a furious assertion- that stallion refusing to allow that other man to see how deeply that story and those images reached- at least not yet. Frost near as guarded about his past as the panther himself.

That proclamation of his own role to play was perhaps the most surprising off all and yet- did he truly have a choice? If Tetradore's words were true- and those memories indicated as much- then this woman already knew of Nadya and her children in turn. How long would it be before she turned her attentions to them? Nadya, perhaps, held little value if only for her age and the very defiance any sort of enslavement might be met with and yet those children were another matter entirely. Those children whom had become part of his pack the day he had formed that tie with Nadya herself. They were lives beneath his protection. Some part of the stallion bristling at the mere idea of some vampire bitch making any attempt to come at what was his own. Those first tendrils of irritation tugging at him with a disdain for a being he had never met and yet- it was hardly for the threat she posed to his pack alone that he felt that near decades old heat of anger lick at his veins. How much he despised those beings in this world whom thought their species, be it cat or horse, was some sort of slave. To be treated like an animal, a beast of burden- a disposable tool of war. He had seen it all before. That loathing so deeply ingrained within him that it was for what she had done to the very man beside him that he seemed to find the most despicable. Frost near struck at the sheer potency of that care for a man whom fifteen minutes ago he had felt very little for at all. That stallion so refusing to allow even a hint of those foolish emotions to taint his features as he stepped away from that car, his feet scuffing at the burned out ground in consideration.

It was several moments still before the equine found those words again. His voice as apathetic as always, those emotions once more masterfully controlled to present that near ever-present frosted demeanour to the man before him and yet- his intrigue in the deal was surely clear enough all the same. After all, Tetradore's assets were valuable in every sense of the word and yet they were a fool's gold. A double edged sword that came with the promise of blood in return. Frost designed for war and yet it hardly meant he was pre-disposed to its declaration. Nothing about that stallion foolish in any sense. The man content to weigh those words, seeking to clarify them then as Tetradore offered him that small nod and a reminder of those stipulations that came with those pack members. Hmmm. Those pack members could prove to be a veritable thorn in his side even if he was charged with their safety and yet too- perhaps they could prove useful- valuable even. Though the truth of that offer was near plain as day itself, Frost entirely content to call that feline out on it then. Tetradore appearing almost amused at how quickly he had cut to that chase. The other man nodding his agreement before that nearly sardonically offered 'welcome to the family' was offered. Frost allowing that roll of his eyes somewhere beneath that storm of white hair. His lip quirked upward in a genuine amusement.

"Thanks, mate."

It was true, he supposed. The both of them well involved in it now regardless if whether or not Frost even accepted that offer. The stallion content enough to acknowledge those familial ties that bound them now in one way or another. Frost falling silent once more in those further moments of consideration even if they were hardly truly needed. Frost oblivious to that determination that was surely clear on his features and to Tetradore in turn. His role in this had been decided in those few moments he had seen Tetradore's memories- even if he refused to admit it to himself. The stallion content to withhold that decision a little longer all the same as he strode back towards that car- that empty bottle placed at his feet before he reached for another. This one passed abruptly to Tetradore, that affinity for cold embracing that drink and affording it the chill the other lacked. An entirely different question on his lips now. One he found distinctly curious. With so much choice that night, why had that vampire woman chosen just one child? Frost twisting the lid off his own second beer as he lent back against the hood of that sports car again.

That answer he was provided with was not entirely surprising, he supposed. Children were impressionable. She needed a cat. Tetradore's status provided her with what she needed in a play thing. That game of submission and dominance one he knew all too well, his jaw tightening slightly and yet once more he forced those memories away. How often had he himself been called cruel or harsh? Yet- he had never taken to enslaving a child. There was a distinct difference between his own breed of harshness and that vampiric sadism. Frost snorting softly in response.

"No offense, but I hardly doubt she neglected to take Tobias because he lacked your status. I saw your Beta in the southern forests about a week ago. He was licking a tree. I see your point though."

One eye lifted ever so slightly, Frost hardly needing to add any further words as to just what about that might have prompted the vampiric woman to decide Tobias was not her ideal candidate. Some faint touch of amusement finding his features all the same as he took another sip of that drink. Another question tugging at him then. After all, in all the world why had Tetradore chosen him to play that role of heir? Their previous engagements had hardly ben pleasant, even if, largely, it was not Tetradore the stallion blamed for that in any sense. His thoughts on the man himself decidedly neutral and yet even Frost was inclined to consider that choice of himself was hardly sound and so required that feline to place a great deal of faith in Frost himself. That a chance few beings were willing to take and with decidedly good reason. Either Tetradore thought him strong enough to fight that woman- or stupid enough to try. That response prompting that first genuine chuckle from the man then.

"Fair call. This woman though- I need more information. Do you have any idea of what, or who, these fail safes she has are? Am I going to need an army to take her out or can I manage this alone? My pack isn't made of fighters though I think I know how to get a few if I need them. As for your pack, what do you have set up for them? If I'm going to keep them safe I need to know what plans you have. I also need to know if the vampire bitch has any other affinities outside of cat control. Anything you can tell me will help."

The more information he had, the better the plan could be. Frost hardly taking that role of 'fail safe' lightly in any sense. The stallion's affinity for war readily seeing that already meticulous planning beginning to take shape, the fingers off his free hand taping against the hood of that car in some indication of that internal thought. There was every chance such plans would never need to be activated at all and yet he was not fool enough not to have them in place all the same. As long as this woman was 'alive' she posed a threat to Nadya and the children all the same. If anything, it was that alone he needed to be ready for in turn. That silence of sorts settling over them once more. Frost's gaze lingering on those blackened beams and charred earth, the hood of that car beginning to cool beneath his fingers.

"It fucking sucks, doesn't it?"

Those words were sudden, abrupt, Frost's voice decidedly quiet- his gaze distinctly turned away from Tetradore as he took another sip of that drink, his tongue brushing over his lips as if he was never given to consider whether or not he saw any need to add any more. Those falling words as coolly offered and abrupt as the ones before.

"They think they own you- and they take every chance they get to remind you that they do. As if they take pleasure from seeing how long it takes you to break. They take everything from you and when they have nothing left to take they use pain- in any way they can think off- and for some stupid reason you still refuse to bow down entirely. The tiniest act of defiance becomes everything no matter how small or insignificant- because if you bow down then it's over and your life is as meaningless as they told you it was from the start. I get it. Alpha blood will be the death of us both."

Alpha blood, after all, did not bow. Not easily. That he was no longer talking about just Tetradore was surely clear. That stallion's fingers falling silent upon that hood as his attention remained on those charred beams. Those single few sentences the most the man had ever uttered of the truth of himself and yet- until that moment he had surely never meet anyone else who understood. The stallion at last glancing to those bears again.

"Reckon we could have done with another case between us."

f r o s t
we built this city on broken glass