Wolf RPG

"Well, shit," said Aesop as he came upon the borders. To expect to find his home unchanged was folly, but he had not thought the find it in such disarray. The shores he had followed were washed up and covered in decaying driftwood and the debris of the ocean, rotting bodies and great tangles of seaweed. The stench of rotting fish followed him as he traversed the ruined coasts until he came upon the familiar rocky shores of Stavanger Bay. It was in no better shape than the other territories he had passed on his way. The flood line had clearly been high, trees were flung carelessly, their roots scrabbling at the sky in desperate search for purchase. A storm had clearly struck, and it was unclear if the territory was still inhabited. 

Still, it was best to attend to the formalities. He settled on his haunches a respectful distance from the borders. With his heard in his throat he howled, calling for Thistle Cloud, or whoever lead the pack now. He had come home and found it changed, but hoped dearly that it would be recognizable, and that he would be welcomed home.

To say it was a surprise to hear Aesop's call was an understatement. Charon had been patrolling the borders when he heard it, and his ears flung up into the sky. His first reaction was one of puppyish joy, for Aesop had been a present figure in his youth. But then he remembered that Aesop'd left, and bitterness replaced the joy that Charon had felt at least partially.

The young Beta made his way towards Aesop's location then, because although he felt partially angry for Aesop leaving their already small family, he at least wanted to hear him out. Maybe he had good reasons.

When Charon approached, he kept a distance between them, not closing it to amicably greet Aesop. Maybe if he'd been there, some of the tragedy that had befallen Stavanger Bay would not have been quite as tragic. Charon carried his head proudly and his tail flagged high, indicating that he was far from a pup here these days. "You returned," Charon said coolly, and he waited for a good explanation.

Ever since his own return, Atreyu stubbornly refused to leave neither Thistle, the pup's nor Charon and his brother's side, shadowing their every move — from a distance, of course. He was all the more protective of his little family now, the guilt of Jorunn's death weighing down his heart. He felt like he had to make it up to Thistle, not let anything happen to any of the remaining wolves of Stavanger Bay (including Charon's most recent thrall).

So when a howl sounded from the borders, Atreyu quickly stumbled after the Beta who he spotted making his way towards the oddly familiar voice. He had been lurking within the forest, keeping an eye out, and burst out of the scorched brush as he awkwardly loped towards the formidable looking wolf standing at their borders. Wait a second...

"Aesop?" he questioned under his breath, staring up at the scarred male as he drew up beside Charon. He kept his own tail neutral, though fixed their former packmate in a stern gaze, silently demanding what the younger wolf was waiting for.

Nerves found him as he waited, and he began to pace among the burned bracken. If the Bay stood as it had, would he be welcomed? And what if it had fallen? What if the storm had killed and scattered them, or a neighboring pack had wiped them out? What if he had made a mistake? The waiting was killing him, and he was pleased to see that he didn't need to wait long.

Charon arrived, bigger than when Aesop had last seen him but unmistakable. "Charon?" he said, laughing his disbelief. "Look at you, holy shit. You grew up." Charon's question sent him stumbling, mentally, and he finally stood still. He dipped low, a response more instinctive than conscious. Charon's posture didn't mesh with Aesop's memories, and that was unsettling.

Even more so was Atreyu's arrival, just after Charon, missing a leg from when Aesop last saw him. It seemed that he had come home, only to find it changed. "Uh. Hey," he said evenly, for lack of any other response. "Yeah. I came back." He scratched at the ground with one paw, uncomfortable. "I came home. Leaving was a mistake."

Aesop seemed surprised to see him, which made no sense to Charon (who, having been there himself all the while, didn't realise how different he would seem to someone who'd been gone for a while). Charon had been here when Aesop had left, and he'd always be here. Aesop had to know that. He almost seemed unbelieving that it was really Charon standing before him. "Yeah, I'm the Bay's Beta now," he replied coolly, clearly keeping his distance, his body still exuding the dominance that matched his current status. Better start grovelling if you want me to take you back in, he thought arrogantly to himself, feeling snippy because of Aesop leaving them.

Atreyu drew up beside him then; he seemed less annoyed with Aesop's departure. Charon snorted out a derisive laugh when Aesop said that leaving was a mistake. "Atreyu left for a little while recently," Charon said. "He only left because he sacrificed his own leg for a Bay pup's safety." Charon's narrowed eyes sought out Aesop's, not-so-subtly telling him that he was nothing in the Beta's eyes right now. "What was your reason to leave?" It was unfair, perhaps, to ask a reason as good as Atreyu's for Aesop to have been gone. Then again, Charon was not a very fair wolf: life had shown him that the world was an unfair place, so why would he grow up to be any different from the rest of it?

Despite Charon's obvious scorn towards the man, Atreyu couldn't help but feel a slight bit of compassion for him. Whatever his reasons for leaving were, he had at least returned, and at a good time, too. Granted, it would've been better had he been here when the bear had — then maybe Jorunn would still be alive. And he would have his leg. Atreyu shook off the thought, dipping his head in a small nod as Aesop greeted them awkwardly.

A mistake? His reply made him all the more curious for his reasons for leaving. It was Atreyu's turn to feel uneasy then as Charon noted his own short stint away from the pack. That hadn't really been for a reason, other than an instinctual urge to run and tend to his injuries. His ears splayed out sideways as he shifted. He had saved one pup, but the sacrifice had been both unneeded and in vain. He should've called the for the rest of the pack. Or done...anything else. Why had he attacked a bear, of all things?

His gaze settled back on Aesop as Charon pointedly asked him for his own reason, remaining silent but hoping his reason was good enough for the Beta.

Aesop choked on air as Charon spoke. "Beta?" he managed, the statement coming out unbidden. Immediately, he bowed into a more submissive posture, one more appropriate to the disparity between their ranks (or lack thereof.) "Sorry," he said, not a moment later. "Sorry, I just. Things have changed, huh?" His eyes drifted to Atreyu's missing leg. "Really changed." His posture could hardly be called groveling, but groveling wasn't a thing Aesop did. As it was, his tail was tucked between his legs, and his head was low to the ground, his eyes averted but for quick darts up to look between Atreyu and Charon. Perhaps he was bitter about having to prostate himself before a child. And maybe he was a bit bitter about Charon occupying a role he had once coveted himself. 

Charon demanded his reason for leaving. "Ain't as good as Atreyu's, here. I was needed elsewhere. I wouldn't have left if it wasn't necessary," he said, tone pleading. It wasn't the truth, but it wasn't quite a lie. The truth was that he'd gotten scared. Fighting Burke has woken something in him, and he began to see enemies in every shadow. Nowhere felt safe. And then there was the boy, Alastor. He was young, and Aesop was afraid to feel anything for him. He was afraid to love him. He was afraid to love anything, because he didn't get to keep the things he loved.

Not that he would ever tell Charon that. Or anyone. His pride wouldn't allow it.

"I'm back. And I'll do whatever it takes to stay."

Charon's tail twitched when Aesop mentioned how things had changed. Although he seemed reluctant to do so, Aesop did wise up and submitted to Charon, which felt good. Charon hadn't thought it would be so hard for Aesop, not understanding how it would be for Aesop to submit to a wolf as his superior that he'd taught things as a pup not that long ago. In Charon's mind, they'd always gotten along, and so he didn't understand. Still, he submitted, which was good enough for the young Beta.

His explanation was kind of vague and not very descriptive, Charon thought, and he had to resist the urge to make a snarky remark about that. Still, he was back, and while Charon didn't want any lousy quitters in his pack, they could use Aesop now that Atreyu had lost a leg, Thistle was still in her absent rouse of depression, and they'd lost several over the past months. Leading up to winter, they could use the extra wolf.

"Fine, you can come back," Charon said abruptly, sounding as though he'd just flipped a coin and decided on the spot, even though he had spent half a minute or so thinking about it. "But don't ever leave again." Charon narrowed his eyes briefly as he said this, his words as much a command as a warning. He didn't like deserters. Then Charon's face cleared up slightly and he said: "Welcome back. I'll warn you before you get a heart attack exploring, but the eastern side of the territory was wrecked by a passing storm, and some of the forest's harmed too."

His reason just raised more questions for Atreyu, who had to bite his tongue before he interrogated the man. He was needed elsewhere — some other pack? A place outside the Wilds? Paranoia crept in his mind, suggesting Aesop had left at a quite convenient time, right after their alpha's murder. It would explain why his...explanation was so vague. The boy shook it away, however, not wanting to become suspicious of a wolf he respected and looked up to.

He was right to submit, even if he was uneasy about it, and Atreyu looked to Charon as he seemed to debate whether letting the man back in or not. Please, he's the only one old and strong enough to actually have a chance against intruders. Or a bear. There was a pause, before the Beta decided Aesop's fate. Atreyu let out a soft sigh of relief, his features lightening as he looked over once again to the large male.

"Most of the territories around us, too," he added to Charon's warning. He wasn't sure where Aesop had come back from, but surely he would've seen at least some of the havoc the storm had wrecked upon the coastline and further inland.

With a firm nod Charon confirmed what Atreyu said. "Let's get you some food," Charon said while he nosed the air to gesture Aesop should come. He was welcome again here, for the time being; only time would tell whether it was the right decision.

Truth was, they needed all the able bodies they could get come winter, and Charon knew this. He trotted on into the territories, presumably followed by Aesop and Atreyu, to find the nearest cache and show the damages to the territory to Aesop.