the lonely mountain

Set near Ouroboros Spine. For @Mordecai.

Kadezj, as insufferable as he could be, was Justice's responsibility. She had sworn herself to him and although she wasn't pleased with the way things turned out, she was an honorable and loyal wolf. That being said, she did need her time away from him. It was a sunny yet brisk day and Justice was seeking a pack to join, one that would help Kadezj heal. She was uncertain about it, though, considering that once he was healed and he had gathered enough followers, he would probably strike out on his own, taking Justice with him.

She pushed those thoughts of the future away when the scent of a nearby pack caught her attention. Justice stalked through the woods and found herself looking at a ring of lonely mountains towering in the distance. Watching the area carefully, the golden wolf inhaled all the scents of the area. One particular scent was strongest, coming and going toward that circle of mountains. What pack was this? She moved forward, nose to the ground to investigate the scent, careful to not stray too close to the pack's borders.

Figured I'd let you spot him, versus the other way around for a change haha. It's been so long since we've had a thread though!!

It had snowed a little in the days past, but nothing substanial by any means. But it was enough to perhaps startle them all into holing up, at least prey wise. Mordecai had been scouting out the area just beyond the Spine, hoping to scare up something that would at least worth taking down. But nothing stirred in the thick woodland of the wilderness, other than the predatory creatures that were themselves. Much weighed on his mind, but he found being out in what he deemed as the middle of nowhere took his thoughts away from it. Out here, he let primal instincts take over, drawing in the sights, smells, and sounds of the world around him.

But even those, he came to realize once again, were muffled beneath the pale blanket of precipitation. Sighing, he paused for a moment to shake the cold loose from his body and pressed onward. Directionless at best, he kept the Spine in his sights as a swift marker towards home. He wondered briefly how much daylight was left, hoping that today it would not be so swiftly stolen and their remaining time plunged into darkness. At least with the absence of any significant cloud cover, the stars would be out later in the evening. Maybe even the moon, however lacking of a light source it would be beneath the fan of conifers that made up the majority of their surrounding and interior territory.

I know, I miss our threads! :)

As Justice was sniffing around and observing the distant pack, she noticed movement in the middle distance. It was a wolf, or so it seemed to her, and she wondered if that wolf had any ties to the pack behind it. Since she was not going to find out any answers by standing there idly, Justice moved toward the wolf in question. As she got closer, however, her eyes began seeing things. Was that the reddish coat of her family? The golden eyes?

She neared and finally his scent hit her, and all the memories of her childhood came flooding back to her. Was this truly her cousin? He had left Sedona before she was one, but she knew him well enough. His scent was familiar, like a warm blanket on a cold night, and she barked happily, hoping to catch his attention, though they weren't far apart now. Finally the distance between them closed and she smiled, realizing exactly who it was. "Mordecai!" she yelled, bouncing on her front paws like a puppy.

She didn't go closer, though, for uncertainty began filtering into her mind. What if it wasn't her cousin? What if she had just yelled his name and this stranger took offense to it? Justice paused, watching him carefully, her eyes wide and ears forward. Could she have finally found a piece of home after all this time?

Footfalls captured his attention, pulling Mordecai from whatever primal reverie he had been locked away in. He located her easily, though initially he was more perplexed out of her approach than anything. It was more or less about the time she opened her mouth to speak his name that he picked up on the nunaces of her body; the colors of her coat, the resolute, but different shade of gold of her eyes. The rusty-red blaze that smeared across her muzzle. If not for that, he would have instantly thought of his aunt, though Mordecai had not seen Shila in quite some time. The same went for Justice as well.

“Justice?” he found himself querying the open air. His surprise was no mistake, and he could not have masked it if he wanted to. Of all the wolves he had encountered across the wilderness, she had not been one he fully anticipated. Then again, Mordecai had not expected to see Viggo, or Verrine, or even learn that Ptarmigan came from their sprawling family lines. “It's been so long! What are you doing here?” A smile broke across his face when he was certain it was her, not some apparition there to play tricks on him. He closed in their gap a bit more, reaching out tentatively with his muzzle to draw in the muddied hints of where she had been, and furthermore to find that one thing that truly meant she was here and she was well.

The wolf that she had called forth turned out to be her cousin, thank the heavens above. Justice laughed and closed the distance between them, and reached with her own muzzle to touch his outstretched one, giving him a warm familial nuzzle. Justice felt more at peace than she had in a long time and finally knew where she would settle: wherever her cousin lived. "I know!" she exclaimed, not sure where she should even start. "When I was one, I went to Seahawk Valley with my siblings to see if any of our other family was there." The journey had not gone exactly as planned, unfortunately.

"On my way home, I got sidetracked and lost, basically. I was taken in by a group of wolf and coyote hybrids called the Khalas." Justice hesitated, unsure yet again abut how much to reveal. This was her cousin, however, and she was compelled to tell him all. "They were so interesting, Mordecai! I learned so much about healing and fighting and life while living with them." Now came the rough part. "However, I was chased out because I trusted the wrong wolf. His name is Kadezj, and he is a horribly smooth talker. He talked me into siding with him over the alpha and when he went to challenge him, he lost. I was nearly killed because of him."

Despite all that, though, she was here with him, keeping him alive and semi-healthy because she was more honorable than even she knew. "We were only saved because his brother stepped in for us, and we were able to escape. I fled and he followed. I've been taking care of him, because of the oath I swore to him." She had felt stupid about that every single day since, but there was nothing she could do about it now. "I know I shouldn't have, but I am a woman of my word. Our family honors our word, for better or worse." With a whine, she looked into her cousin's eyes and asked, "Do you think you could take us in for the winter and help him heal? He won't cause any trouble. I daresay he isn't in any shape to do anymore than sleep for a few more weeks."

Her stories of the lands she had explored came to him readily, and in a way Mordecai found he was less than prepared for the deluge of imagery that followed. There was more flair in Justice's life than had been in his own, though in a way, Mordecai could have probably told stories to match hers. He had never gone to Seahawk Valley, though in a way he wished he would have. He had tried to seek out the Salvajes and the Neve, but failed. All in all, the path that he had taken to the Wilds themselves went everywhere but where he had ever intended it to go. But only because he had never intended to go anywhere but where his feet led him.

So he let her speak, let her lie everything out across the proverbial table to gather what he could from her tale. Most of all, he gathered that she had been lingering near their borders for some time, if she had been able to ascertain his ability to take anyone in. The notion stirred a sense of awkwardness in his silence, which tapered quickly at her the end of her query. “I see you still don't waste any time,” he said with a chuckle. His memories of her were few and far between, but Mordecai could not avoid the insistence he saw in her now. She had direction and did not hesitate to reach for what she wanted to succeed with.

Pacing forward a few more steps, he gestured her to come along with a smile. “Tell me more about this Kadezj,” he prompted gently. Justice he had no qualms about taking, but given her story… he wanted to be sure what he was letting her get him into. Her oath was her own, not his, and as it were, Mordecai found he was trying very hard to avoid any more turbulence in the Spine.

Justice laughed and shook her head at Mordecai's assessment of her. No, she didn't waste any time. She was the type of wolf who went for what she wanted and usually got it, and not because she acted ruthless or cunning. Justice was kind and generous and helpful, and most wolves were willing to help out someone like that. When he motioned for her to fall in step with him, she wasted no time moving her paws to match his gait. It felt good to walk by his side again, even if any distinct memories of him were vague. She knew family.

When Mordecai asked her to tell him more of Kadezj, she frowned but thought of what to tell him. "He's arrogant, and stubborn, and ruthless, if truth be told," she sighed, knowing this was not the best thing to tell a possible future alpha. "He wants to be a khal, an alpha, in his own right, like many wolves do. He is intelligent, sly, and a smooth talker, like I said." Just was sure she was doing him any favors with her cousin. "I know him as well as any wolf can, and I believe he would be willing to work for you during the winter and use his talents where he can in return for treatment of his wounds."

She was somewhat putting words in his mouth, but if Kadezj wanted to go against what she said, he could look elsewhere for a winter home. "Do you think your alpha would take us in?" Then, because this was an even more important question, she asked, "Does your pack have a healer?"

From the sound of things, Kadezj did not sound like that wonderful of a creature. Perhaps it was merely the emphasis that she placed on the words, or the honesty of them, that made Mordecai inwardly frown. The Spine had already kept its share of ambitious beasts and it was having lasted through them that Mordecai felt that was truly no way to be. But his contentedness was arbitrary; it changed almost as the day went on. It was something that he found he needed to think on, and did so, trying to keep a listening ear for the words that continued to rise from her tongue.

It was further into their conversation that he came to understand she had not mistaken him for an alpha, but rather wondered if an alpha would take them in. His misjudgment of what she had perceived did not surprise him, though he briefly considered running with the notion that he was not some alpha at all. Then again, he had not gone throwing his dominance about in her company, let alone any titles. Instead he approached her query of their healer, or lack thereof. “We don't have one officially,” he said, pausing, “but I think we do have a wolf or two capable of the ability. No one's gone and formally claimed the job.” As much as he would have liked someone to, Mordecai was not entirely sure whether or not he could push or usher them in that direction.

“So how well does he keep his word? I know you realize you're asking for a lot, but if this companion of yours is a smooth talker, I want to know how well he'll come through.” Mordecai had little issue with him dispersing when the time came, but until then, he saw on the horizon of his mind that there were a plethora of problems that could stem from a creature such as Kadezj. And that troubled him most of all.

Justice had scented him on the trail leading to the pack they were walking toward, but she did not know if that meant he was alpha, beta, or simply a high-ranking scout tasked with keeping the borders marked and secure. She had all the faith in the world that her cousin could and would be a great alpha. As they approached the pack, his scent grew stronger, and it wasn't because they were together. It was because the borders were marked with him, and she wondered at his rank. "It sure smells like you here," she said, almost naively, as she walked beside him.

She was glad that they had a few wolves looking to fill the position, though none carried the official title of healer quite yet. Kadezj might not like that to begin with, but if their treatment helped him, she was certain he would hold his tongue. However, what Mordecai asked of her next was something else entirely: how well Kadezj would keep his word. While she had mentioned he had challenged he alpha, she didn't mention that it had gone against his own oath sworn to that male, and based on her previous agreement with Kadezj, she wouldn't do that. Not yet, any way.

"He is a wolf of his word," she said carefully, weighting her words with honesty, taking her time to answer. This was not a task to take lightly, after all. "I have not known him to make promises he doesn't intend to keep. If he says he will serve you, he will." What more could she say about Kadezj? "I could bring him here to meet you, if you'd like. Then you can decide for yourself if he's trustworthy or not." In reality, Kadezj probably wasn't the most trustworthy wolf, but Justice knew that usually his intentions were pure. However, the means sometimes didn't justify the end result.

He had been mistaken when he thought she had been able to discern what he thought was the obvious — that the Spine was his. Her naivety was amusing, though he did not initially let on this fact. Justice was intelligent enough to put two and two together. But he listened as she spoke once more of Kadezj and wondered whether or not the fellow was true to his word. It was her offer to bring him there that he found himself agreeing with.

"I think that would be best," he said, wondering if he was treating this too much in a business-like sense. "With winter coming in, we can't just take in everyone that comes along. But if he's willing to be loyal to this pack and loyal towards me, then I suppose an arrangement could be made." Choosing his words carefully, he moved on with not letting her in on the fact that he would be the one making the call. But he felt it was obvious more now than ever.

After a few more minutes of conversation, he let her go on her way. Presumably, they would meet again and he would see this Kadezj for himself. And with any luck, he would decide whether or not to take a gamble on him. Justice he would have taken in without consideration, but when strings were attached and involved, the situation became so much more thorny.