Whitefish River A fire in the attic, proof of the prize

The alpha had ventured from the borders, following the river until it lead him into the flatlands. It was late, and he knew most of the pack was asleep, but since their run in with the bear, he hadn't been sleeping very well again. His nightmares had returned with a vengeance, terrorizing any moments of sleep with the haunting eyes and giant paws of some dream world monster bear. 

If that wasn't bad enough, he had started getting frequent, horribly painful headaches. He couldn't figure out what triggered them, but a couple times a day, seemingly out of nowhere, he was overtaken by the sudden feeling of a thousand knives piercing through his skull and into his brain. The pain only lasted a couple minutes, but it always forced him to stop what he was doing and stand frozen with his eyes closed until the throbbing subsided. So far, he had been lucky enough to have always been alone when it happened, but he knew it was only matter of time before someone found out. He assumed his mate would probably be the first to witness it since he spent most of his time with her, especially since the bear attack. The smell of her blood still stuck in his mind as if her were smelling it again, and he was having a hard time shaking the idea that he could have lost her. She had sustained a fairly large injury down her back that was a constant reminder for him. Other packmates had been injured as well, including himself. He had pretty deep gash on his head and a slash across his chest, but he was alive and so was everyone else, so he had something to be thankful for.


These were the alpha's thoughts as he walked the length of the river, white flurries collecting on his inky coat before melting. At some point, he stopped and shook the accumulated water from his fur before resuming his pace. The snow was starting to collect on the ground, and his steps left large wolf prints behind him as he continued his late night walk.

So I had to do a hop in this js.

 

For someone who knew he didn't like company, it seemed as if he constantly wandered to find more of it. Either that, or other's just liked to fish too. Siqsa was enjoying the rays of the moon on the bank, body prone and revealing none of his mesmerizing sheen of dark navy in the sea of black that was was his pelt as the world was cast into the embrace of night. Size of a wolf that was mean to grow into a monster, wide paws lay across each other while he absorbed what little energy the moon offered him. The Wolfdog was clearly oblivious to everything visually as his eyes were closed, but ears caught the crunch of pads against gravel and brittle grasses, auds immediately locking onto the sound. He followed  the passerby with his ears until the ears could track the company just upon the foot of the bank he resided on. Standing a good while ahead of time before the company was upon him, he stretched, and then inhaled what little information-

"Oy asilas."

The words had left his maw as that information hit his brain like a elk at full force. This wasn't some random wolf at the river, tonight. No, this was the man who rubbed his ass across everyone here, and made sure they wore his cologne. Now. Right here. Siqsa wasn't exactly prepared for this, and had the urge to flee before he got noticed. He hadn't crossed the border; in fact he was on the opposite end of it. Running however, would probably ensue him being seen as suspicious and could land him being chased and ripped apart. Who wanted to die like that? This was the only pack he had come across in this general area, and he knew he liked the springs here. 
Could Siqsa gain entry from simply coming out to the Alpha? 

"Hello?" 

The short chuff was sent outwards and in the direction of the noises, where his silhouette stood as he did. Back to the moon, the only visible aspect of himself was his shape, a growing mass of a large male, and a glint of his scarlet topaz eyes.

<3

He froze at the words, fixing his gaze ahead of him in the direction the sound. Kavik hadn't expected to run into anyone this late, so he was surprised to learn of the other's presence. He quickly and confidently closed the distance between them, making sure to leave enough space as was appropriate for wolves who didn't know each other. The alpha dipped his large, inky head in greeting. Hello, I apologize if I startled you, he stated, his emerald gaze taking in the large, similarly-colored male in front of him. He hadn't seen the stranger before, but that wasn't surprising; he hadn't been leaving the plateau very much lately. He honestly hadn't even planned on doing so tonight, but he had followed the river through their territory and just continued following it across their well-marked borders and into the flatlands. It had been a peaceful and quiet walk until it seemed he had stumbled on a loner, not that he minded; he could use the distraction anyway.

"Same, to be frank,"

The pronouns and nouns he could have used to clarify what he meant swam around his head in a beautiful chaos of jumble. It wasn't the first time he found himself stuck on how to have a ocnversation. He was terrible at it. Siqsa knew the male could have simply ripped his throat out with a blow that would have been faster than he could register; but the guy seemed relatively nice. And by the tones of his voice, the dark counterpart seemed to not be too far from his own age. 
His brain was pulled form the analysis and shown the reason to his self-reflection.

"The not-meaning-to-startle part."

He swished his dark banner once before seating himself. Gave up his swift ability to strike if need be to show more respect to the guy in front of him. Solemn voice morphed his words into something a bit more blunt. 

"To get to the main reason as to me lurking, I had been around for a bit. As we can see,"

His snout upturned to the falling sky flakes. The snow, though it wasn't sticking, it still held a sharp nip if the air with it was inhaled. More than likely, it would prompt the plants to recede a bit, and with it, the prey. Things would prematurely bury themselves, and make it harder for a bite to be earned. As a lone hunter, it would also be difficult to keep up with such a foe, as winter was friend to none.

"Times have become colder. The leaves curl, color, and fall. 'Tis time for homes to be sought. So I come to your doorstep seeking a place."

Was he doing this right? If anything, everything in him simply instructed him to issue a challenge this man to right of this pack, but with what experience would he lead? With what respect would he have? With what strength would he possess? What was his goal? 
It was not time; but one day, his time would come. And until then, the yearling would have to earn his keep. 
The ideal made him relatively sick, as he assumed he came from Alpha blood. However, he was not. And the conflicting mentalities crashed through him with the rage of a storm's fury. 

"I am Siqnas. Siqnas Ntima. I hunt, fishing and other solo prey. I do have to admit,"

His tongue held the next words, refusing to let them leave without a fight. Would he honestly give up a fault to this man? What did Siq have to owe him? Not a damn thing. But the search for a home would be a hard one if he were rejected. Bringing his sight back from the skies to the place just below the Alpha's emerald eyeline.

"I am terrble at teamwork."

It burned the very back of his throat, his pride scoring the insides with the exact wash of power that a tidal wave would share. This was just stupid. What would his dad think of him, grovelling like this? Admitting weaknesses and throwing them on a silver platter for another wolf? He would surely have been murdered for this. But Slade wasn't his father. Siqsa was a bastard child, knowing neither his mother truly or his father. The only thing he could recall from Nightmare Elm was the screams and whines, the snarls and murder that happened outside of the treeroots he was hidden in. The killings Slade had done to the entire pack, then the silence that followed. The awful silence...
The same silence he was delivering on accident. 

"But I can learn. Grezig informed me you all were needing numbers."

Siqsa hoped the bringing up of the brunette would assist his chances of getting in.

He hadn't been startled, just surprised to find someone out and about so late. Regardless, he gave a quick nod in response, only studying the odd male when he further explained his words. The stranger took a seat, moonlight glinting off his fur and turning it an interesting shade of blue. Kavik followed suit, taking a seat as well, stifling the urge to wince as the movement jostled his chest wound. He didn't like to show weakness around anyone, let alone a stranger. He had important responsibilities; no need to go and get himself in another fight and accrue more injuries in the process. 

He stated he had been around for a bit. Kavik hadn't scented him near the borders during his patrols, so he seemed to have the good sense to stay far enough from claimed lands. Kavik listened quietly as the male went on to explain that the winter seemed to leave him in need of a home. He understood that; winter had only just started, and it was sure to get colder and more difficult for a wolf to survive on their own. The alpha was about to ask about his skills, but the stranger introduced himself and informed Kavik that he was a good hunter. They could always use hunters, even ones that were not very good at teamwork; it was something that could be easily taught. He dipped his head once more. I am Kavik, alpha of Blacktail Deer Plateau. My mate Liri is the other alpha, he returned. 

Siqsa fell silent for a few minutes, but Kavik was no stranger to quiet. He studied the male again as he appeared lost in thought. He was large like Kavik and also young. He seemed a little strange, but that didn't matter to the alpha, he was just glad to possibly have met someone to add to the ranks. When the other man finally spoke, it was to mention Kavik's beta. His eyes held a little surprise at hearing his friend's name. It made sense, though. Grezig was always busy recruiting members and doing other things for the pack, even before they had officially settled in the plateau. He considered himself lucky to have such a capable and hard-working beta. 

So you've met my beta, he said. What she says is correct; we do need more numbers, especially with winter so close, he added. He couldn't see a reason not to allow Siqsa to join their ranks; they needed members and he needed a home, so it seemed like a good match. Plus, he seemed like a capable wolf and those were always good to have. You're welcome to join the ranks, Siqsa, he stated, standing up. You could join me for a walk out here and I can answer whatever questions you have, or I can take you back to the plateau now. Most of the members are asleep, so you wouldn't be able to meet them until the morning. It's your choice, he offered, falling silent again and waiting for the male's answer.

"I am Kavik, alpha of Blacktail Deer Plateau. My mate Liri is the other alpha. What she says is correct; we do need more numbers, especially with winter so close."

Siqsa listened with intent and interest in his molten stare. Auds erect, caught every words which the darker wolf spoke, and gave Siq nothing but relief when he wasn't immediately shunned for his lack of skill. 

He in turn nodded with the older male at remention of Grezig. With no mental barrier telling him it was off to say something such as this, the words drifted through his parted maw. 

"She's interesting."
 

Shaking his head slightly at the offer, the wolfdog snatched that oppertunity with quickness. Emberous eyes met the spring gems of the Alpha, and he spoke swift.

"No; I want to understand the territory as soon as I can. I will go with you."

The Demon couldn't grasp whether it was right to jump on something like that so eagerly. But something like interest in prey routes and needing to know where existing caches so they wouldn't get overfilled nor missed, tracking different trails and knowing the circuit's were to follow. Hell, as much as he resided just outside of the boundaries, he should've know all the walls by now; but there was always more to learn. 

Taking those steps to match the beginning stride of the Alpha's eased gate, Siq allowed Kavik the lead. He was, well, the Alpha, after all. 

"What is it you'd like me to see to, first?"

Thought he was mere minutes into the entry, he wasted no time enjoying the novelty of newness. The only way to move up in the ranks was to work hard, and to be noticed for your skills. Thus, he had to come out of the shadows, a bit.

Interesting was a good word for the beta. Yes, she's different than most, but loyal and a good friend. I'm sure you'll find that out on your own, he answered, amusement painting his tone. He wasn't sure what she had said to the male, but he assumed she was her usual frank, brash self.

The new recruit seemed eager to be shown the plateau and chose to be lead back to pack territory. The alpha dipped his head. Alright, follow me, he said as he turned to head back home. They walked for a few minutes before his new packmate asked what he would be shown first. I figured we could follow the river back up to the plateau and we could start there. The part of the river that runs through our territory is a favorite spot for most members, Kavik replied as he continued to walk. The borders are not too far from here, he added with a lift of his head in the direction they were heading. They could start there; it was a good place as it was the entrance from the flatlands and so one of the most important borders to become familiar with and help keep marked.

I'm going to start a new thread in BDP! :)