Monty knew the deal, but then just grinned slightly. "I'll do whatever the beautiful Emy here wants to." Emy looked slightly angry, then swam over and shoved him a little. "Don't patronize me." Monty chuckled softly. "Of course not." Then Emy looked at Lean. "Apparantly, its up to you."

Léan folded his arms across his chest, thinking. He glanced over at Archie to see if he had any input.

Archie, however, simply sniffed and shook his head. He had no preference...though he felt safer on his own, for some reason, than he did in towns and, especially, cities.

Léan nodded, firmly. "All right. No town, no city. We should find free, good territory. I don't want to invade someone else's. I'm not up for a fight."

Monty chuckled slightly. "Knew it." Then swam over to Emy and took her hand, pulling her along.

Léan grumbled and growled, staying put. "Right here is fine for now. There are plenty of caves here, and no one around. I'm tired. Let's rest, and then go looking."

Archie seemed intimidated by Monty, but a little better with Emy. He wasn't fond of strangers in general, but males were worse for him.

Emy started trying to pull her hand from Monty's. "Let go." Monty chuckled slightly and murmured something in her ear, very close to her. Her face exploded into a red shade.

Léan grabbed Monty's arm, yanking it away from Emy's hand, and then pushed himself between them, contently leading Emy away. It was a dominant move, even though it wasn't violent. He quietly headed over towards one of the bigger caves among the rocks, leaving Monty behind with his brother. Archie was very quick, and could defend himself if needed.

Archie, a loner who had no instinctual need for pack life, didn't seem to understand the significance of Léan asserting his dominance. He watched him leave, curiously.

Emy just kept blushing and stayed close to Leandre, glancing back at Monty, who just seemed amused.

Monty looked at Archie for a moment, then grinned. "So. What's your story?"

Léan settled down in one of the caves. It was much more comfortable than the last one had been, which comforted him. He curled up in a ball, against her.

"...? What do you mean 'story?'" Archie asked meekly, sounding puzzled. Now that he wasn't right next to Léan, it was clear to see that they weren't perfectly identical. Archie was thinner--less muscled. He also had tragic-looking eyes, a natural look for him. Besides that and their differing personalities...there was almost no way to tell them apart.

Emy almost clung to him and closed her eyes. "I...don't like him."

Monty sighed and swam around in circles. "Umm....I like to know what kind of person you are. I can see that you have no backbone. But, I can tell something has happened to you recently that you don't wish to share, so I'll cut you some slack."

"I think he needs a mate. He probably will not calm down until he has one," Léan offered, sleepily. His eyes were closed, as well.

"...Um." Archie shifted, uncomfortably. He didn't like explaining who he was to people--it was something he struggled with, since he often had a wall up. He instead focused on a passing school of fish, marveling at their vibrant colors with a childlike wonder that Léan did not possess.

Emy shook his head slightly. "You didn't hear what he said..." She said almost inaudibly.

Monty blinked and looked at him, sort of shocked. Then he just smiled a little, watching Archie's face before he realized what had happened.

Léan arched an eyebrow. He didn't say anything, but it was obvious he was waiting for her to tell him what he'd said. He was suspicious.

Archie sniffed, fidgeting a bit, before seating himself on one of the flatter rocks and relaxing. He was tired, since he'd been up for a few days straight worrying what had happened to his brother. But he didn't feel like sleeping just yet.

Emy just shook her head slightly. "Let's just say it was rather vulger."

Monty just watched him for a moment, before swimming just a little closer to him. At least to be at his level. "Are you really alright? Its not a hard question, you know."

Léan scowled, his stubborn side rearing its ugly head again. He was very bullheaded. He wanted to know exactly what he'd said.

Archie jumped, shuffling backwards a bit. "I'm okay," he replied, his voice a little strained. He didn't want to talk about it. Not with anyone, except for perhaps his brother. It was too soon.

Emy saw how he reacted and lowered her face. "I'm sorry..."

Monty sighed and shrugged. "Whatever. Its not hard to tell that you're not. But, everyone needs space." Monty swam away a bit, looking around for somewhere to sleep.

Léan sighed, his features softening. "I just want to know what he said." He rested his head down on his arms, closing his eyes again.

Archie did the same, ducking around under one of the rocks and finding a cave to huddle in by himself...

He hated sleeping alone. He missed having a warm body to snuggle up to.

Emy looked embarrased just to think about it. "He said he wanted to take me then and there, but he might not have been able to finish with both of you there." When she spoke her voice was quiet and wary. She didn't know how Leandre would react.

Monty didn't like the way Archie seemed like a hurt little kid to him. Something very bad must have happened to him....or he was normally like that. Either way, it was unnerving how much it bothered him as he curled up in another small cave near them.

Léan rolled his eyes, irritated. "He needs a mate. And if he tries anything, there will be a fight." Léan had the urge to push Monty away for a few days, to go out on his own and find a mate that suited him.

Archie had trouble settling down, as he had for the past few weeks. He fidgeted and shifted constantly, unable to get comfortable and fall asleep. Finally, he surrendered, with a soft, unhappy whimpering sound. He couldn't sleep...he would probably end up just laying there and trying to keep his mind blank.

Emy looked at him for a moment, then nuzzled his chest slightly. "Thank you, love..." She felt so safe with him, it made her feel good that he would protect her.

Monty soon got very irritated and swam back out then went hunting to rid his mind of the annoying thoughts.

Léan rested his head on top of hers, sighing suddenly. He could sense his brother's distress in the way he smelled. Léan had an excellent sense of smell when it came to people and specific animals he already knew of. "I wonder what is wrong with my brother..."

Archie had finally gotten fed up with his inability to relax. He'd wriggled out of his cave and was now sitting on top of one of the taller rocks, staring dismally into the distance.

Emy looked at him for a moment, then gently moved a finger over his chest in a small design. "Maybe you should.....go ask him..." She wanted his brother to be ok...even though it was clear she wanted him to stay with her.

Monty sighed after awhile, having caught more than enough fish for himself. He knew it was more than he would eat and it would be a waste. He saw Archie out of the corner of his eye and moved over to him carefully. "Hey...you can't sleep? I hunted more than I can eat...would you like a fish?"

Léan had wanted to, but he suddenly felt very lazy. It may have had something to do with her, but if it did, he wasn't admitting it, being his stubborn ol' self. "He'll be fine...he's used to being alone--he can entertain himself..."

Archie looked up from his moping, tail swishing back and forth happily. "I don't want to take anything from you, but...if you're offering..." He looked happier than he had been a while ago.

Emy looked at him a little confused, but nodded slightly and kissed his cheek softly. "If thats what you think is best..." She did think it may have been a little mean to know something was wrong with your own flesh and blood and not at least take interest in it.

Monty seemed to feel better since he looked happier, for some reason this bothered him when he noticed. He moved over a little closer and held up his spear that held a couple fish impaled on it. "Take your pick."

Léan and Arcturus rarely bothered with each other, so it wasn't too much of a surprise. Léan was concerned that Archie wasn't acting like he usually did--he was usually a happy, semi-hyper kind of person, but incredibly timid and prone to cowardice. "He'll be all right. He's lived on his own for a while, now. He knows how to deal with sadness."

Archie paused, then quietly took the smaller one, nibbling on it gently. He didn't seem to understand the meaning of pack life, or his own instincts for that matter, very well. He was afraid of older males, and older merpeople in general, because he'd been hurt in the past, not because instinct willed him to. He had no gut instincts when it came to mates, or predators, or even prey. The only sort of instinct he ever displayed was the instinct to flee.

Emy nodded slightly and closed her eyes, again resting her head on his chest. "If you believe he'll be fine....then I trust your judgement." She said softly and seemed to be about to fall asleep.

Monty eyed him for a moment, then set the spear against the rock, taking one fish off for himself. "So...why couldn't you sleep?"