Loretta is brought out of her joy first, nose catching the faint scent of familiarity. Her ears swivel atop her head, body jolting to a stop. Her amber eyes quickly find the familiar thing in the darkness--a mass of black fur charging her. Instantly her joy returns and she pivots her body to run towards the black thing, her sister, to jump around with her sister and greet her and play. Loretta's paws press into the snow and her legs sink deep which causes her speed to be under par. Her actions, however, catch Archibald's attention.

The giant turns, hooves lifting out of the snow and plunging in again with ease. His golden hued eyes catch first the sight of Manhattan, his brother's companion. Quickly his eyes bounce off of the black dog to search for Knox's dark figure. He sees the faint outline of his shadowy brother and moves towards him. As the giant lumbers towards the adolescent a rising sense of unease fills him--and instantly everything goes wrong.

Archibald is stopped in his tracks, breath stolen from his lungs. Before him, spewed across the snow of the Thistle meadow, is his family. Their bodies lay tangled and mutilated; hair, blood and skin paint the ground around them. Each one stares at Archibald with cold, lifeless eyes. Their mouths, oh god, hang open as if screaming helplessly for a savior and guardian. They are screaming for him. A feeling surges through his veins, stopping function of his brain and limbs. The feeling, simply, is fear.

Loretta, getting hit with her bonded's emotion like a hurricane, feels instantly hurt. She stops for an instant and looks to Archibald as he stands, his body frozen in fear. Manhattan flings herself to the ground, crying out apologetically. Snarling Loretta moves forward, thrusting her weight onto the younger bitch. Quickly and roughly Loretta's jaws clamp shut on Manhattan's scruff, holding the younger one. A blood-curdling growl rips the silence of the scene before them, rolling from the very essence of Loretta. The red and white dog stands over the black, each hair along her spine standing on end, only ending at the very tip of her tail as it sticks in the air with an anger-driven dominance.

Knox's blindness reaches the stallion too late. He has already seen the image he wishes never to see again. His blood runs cold in his veins now as he stands silent, still. An eternity passes before the giant catches his breath, and it comes only with anger. Everything disappears around him and Archibald feels rage boil up into his chest. His brother, his child brother, sent the blindness to him--in the meeting and now once again. Gritting his teeth the massive knight lifts his body into the air. Muscles tighten and balance shifts inherently and his legs curl before he comes crashing to the ground once more. Even through the snow Archibald's hooves are able to strike the earth clean and precise. Tremors move the Thistle Meadow and Archibald cries out in anger, "Give me my sight!"

It is only after Archibald yells at Knox that he hears his mother. Quickly his eyes scan for her and find only darkness--his nose finally finds her.