For
@Jinx if you want! Or anyone in the area, it's a rather spontaneous thread. ;)
Oddly charmed by the alpha of the plateau pack - and somewhat wary of Fox's reaction when conveyed the message Peregrine had bestowed upon him - Njal took a bit of time to turn around. At first he lingered near the river, and then was pulled across it by a sudden urge to wander. Thoughts of returning home did sit within the forefront of his mind, but so did a part of himself that could not be so easily ignored; the lustful adventurer, that was what he was, once. A vagrant. Putting down roots with the creek wolves had curbed that somewhat, and everything that happened between then and now - finding Tuwawi, battling a cougar, working his way up the ranks - proved that he could indeed be a pack wolf. A successful one.
As desperate as he had been to return home and to Tuwawi's side, now that he was faced with such an option, Njal was a bit stuck. Conflicted, more like it. He kept himself moving with the hopes of tiring himself out. To sleep well under the stars one last time, as he steadily moved along the river and across it - wading through just as a light mist began to catch upon the air. By the time the silver man had made it to the other side, a light rain was falling. His body was sterling and steel, slicked down by the river and dappled by the rain. By sheer chance the Gamma caught sight of the mountains in the distance - they rose like familiar guardians upon the horizon, urging him closer, and he was happy to oblige. Working his way westward for only an hour or so, Njal caught a unique scent upon the wind - something he didn't expect.
Jinx? Her scent, yes, but mountainous. Clinging to the river, but only barely. Crisp and earthy and... Not exactly connected any more to his own. At least, to some extent. Njal was set in to a momentary confusion as he pressed on, curious and bold. He bayed a call towards the mountain. Come out, come out, like a beast in a fairy tale asking for a victim - but Njal held no malice towards the esteemed Beta; she had bested him in many regards, and now he was set upon investigating.
Soon, she would return to the Creek's confines and resume her feigned duties until the time was right. The night of the Moth Offering, she thought, but there was no telling when the unpredictable Kesuk might raise her flags and summon her secret followers here. When the time was right.
For now, she prepared herself for another day of exploration before she would return home. She slunk along the mountain's lower reaches, on a bare ridge where trees had not taken hold. From here, she could see clear across the Flatlands to Blacktail Deer Plateau, though the distance made it impossible to see what was going on there. This ridge, she decided, would make a wonderful place to station an Outrider to keep an eye on outsiders who thought to come near. Ever had Jinx been unlike other wolves in this area. She was born a Kesuk, a wolf of Shearwater Bay, and those savages had never suffered fools coming near their lands.
Nor would she. But she was not yet queen of the mountain, and so when she spotted a silver-dusted wolf approaching, she could not chase him off with bared teeth. This became doubly obvious to her as she swiftly descended, intending to entice another loner to her group, only to discover it was Njal. What the fuck, she wondered, irritated by his presence. First Fox had followed her here, and now the brutish Gamma as well? Never had those wolves shown any inclination to leave the Creek, and yet the minute Jinx left for any amount of time, they stalked after her like wildcats on the hunt.
Huffing softly, the female went to him anyway, armed with the same lie she had presented to Fox in hopes he would buy it and not question her. "Njal," she rumbled in greeting, her tail waving at ease behind her if only because she considered herself his superior in all things (whether or not that was true). "What brings you out here? I have not yet finished my survey of this place, but I should have a sizeable report on it when I return."
The white wolf must have been within earshot of his rumbling call, for she emerged from the dark of the mountain with little hesitation. There was a sharp quality to her - something that Njal had noticed before, but seemed more pertinent now. The mountain's shadows creased around her, greying her body while making the vibrant fire of her eyes stand out. He saw this briefly, for the man was quick to bow his head in respect and keep his eyes at an appropriate level; he was not here to challenge or fight her.
And then Jinx spoke, and Njal found her words to be curious as well. He did not recall Fox mentioning a second trip being planned - but, the woman before him was of higher rank; it was entirely likely that the two leaders had discussed a plan of action which did not involve him. In an effort to ease the situation of it's apparent tension, Njal's posture became quite slack. He looked to the forested hill around them, obviously interested. "I caught your scent as I was returning from the plateau." There wasn't much else to say. Njal wasn't here to be too nosy about Jinx and her plans here. Had Fox wished it, she would have included him in any of the discussions.
"This is a stalwart looking place." He commented freely, and took a stride beyond the wall that was Jinx's burly body. In passing he detected a mulch-like scent upon her. Mountain dust and pine needles. They overshadowed the crisp aroma of the river, and even Fox's musk which usually sat upon every creek wolf as an identifier. Njal didn't think much of it. In his own travels he probably had picked up similar perfumes, which made him less suspicious of Jinx's motives and more interested in the area she was currently surveying. "Of what interest is this place to the creek?" Posited the man with a slight turn of his head, as he regarded the white woman through his peripherals; a brief look as he continued to stride along the mountainside.
There was the slightest prickle of apprehension as she faced Njal, but he seemed less suspicious of her than Fox had. Nevertheless, Jinx had prepared herself for her Alpha's questions and her ire, but had never expected the pale Sveijarn to come anywhere near this mountain. She was more likely to trip up with him, and the thought of it frightened her a little.
She maintained her calm for now, though, despite Njal moving in the direction of the mountain. She had to remind herself it wasn't hers yet, and reacting to his proximity would only give away her intentions. "Little," she admitted, "but I was interested in exploring it. I mean to report my findings back to Fox for her knowledge, whether she'll have it or not." That alone seemed suspicious to her own ears, most likely because she knew her intentions. It wasn't outwardly suspicious, but already she was panicking internally.
"I had a friend in the forest nearby once," she tacked on, hoping to simultaneously change the subject and take the focus off the mountain. "I was on my way to visit and see if what Tuwawi told me about her abandoning her pack was true, but became sidetracked."
It was easier than Jinx realized to fool Njal. He was under the impression that the white woman was a trustworthy individual. An honourable, loyal creature dedicated to their shared family at the creek. As nervous as she may have been internally, Njal was not keen enough to catch upon it. Her answers satisfied him and he was not about to doubt them, not when she was his superior; the nature of the wolf pack made this play in her favour. The man showed little recognition for her first few comments, only nosing around in the dirt along the path and creeping his investigation along the trees; following a trunk, one which had a few errant white hairs clinging to it. They tugged in the breeze, but the man was oblivious.
He perked up instantly when Tuwawi was mentioned - head lifting from the soil and posture assuming a very direct attentive figure. They had spoken very little about where Tuwawi had hailed from prior to joining the creek; he had actually assumed she had been wandering - romanticising the situation somewhat with elaborate imaginings where Tuwawi was hot upon his heels, seeking him out like a meteor. It made sense that she would have some knowledge about the packs in this area - she had held a plethora of scents upon her when he had found her.
"This is the farthest west I have come in the wilds," Njal admitted, whether his company wished to listen to him or not. He was also oblivious to Jinx's exasperation. "It is a wonder that there aren't more groups settling in prime locations such as this." He thought aloud, while plodding along through the forest and it's debris. "It is too bad about your friend. Perhaps if you can find them, they can be wooed to the creek?"
Well, it was only an idea. A light smile crept upon his face at this thought, believing it to be quite a good idea indeed. This idle chatting was not something he was accustomed to though, as was evident by.. Well, everything about his attempts to communicate. Njal's voice lulled and he turned again, this time to once again face Jinx and level a pleasant expression upon her. "I must return to the creek but I can linger if you would like company in your exploration."
All the while, Jinx's heart fluttered nervously. She expected him, at any moment, to cotton on to her plans and rush back to Fox with the truth. For the time being, he seemed to play along, but the suspicious Kesuk couldn't help feeling like he was doing exactly what she was doing. Leading her astray, trying to coax a trip out of her. Paranoia ran heavily in her blood, as it had in her mother's blood and her aunt's and uncle's. It was an inherent trait of the Kesuk line, this paranoia.
"Yes," she responded quickly, grasping at the direction he had gone to save herself from both the suspicion and becoming suspicious herself. "She was a Feralheart. I admit I know little of their family but, by her word, they are a strong lot." If she had been a smarter individual, she might have questioned another's word, but Jinx was surprisingly dense. Though she followed no honour code herself, she had a naive belief that a wolf's word bound them, even if she often broke her oaths herself.
"She would make a fine addition," Jinx concluded, knowing Chakra would probably never come back this way anyway. Njal offered to accompany her on her exploration. The notion would have made her break into a cold sweat if she were capable of it, but in her frantic worrying, she recalled that she hadn't yet left any urine markers upon the mountain. Her eventual claim would not be immediately apparent... Would it? "Sure. I was just going to cover the southern face, see what sort of game might live around here. There's no competition this far west... Wouldn't be a bad idea to send a hunting party this way later in spring for some easy pickings."
At his comment to bring her friend in to the fold of the creek, Jinx seemed to catch upon it - latching hungrily, or somewhat desperately. Njal noticed but said nothing, assuming she was just tired from her adventures upon the mountain. They were both thick-skulled individuals, apparently. He was distracted by the conversation for a time, listening intently as the grand woman described Chakra - who he had never met - and then moving on to accept his offer for company. It was here that he got a little stuck upon her words. Having lived on a mountain for most of his development - and then within Kindred, where the Sunspire kept him entertained - Njal could easily tell her what she'd find. The creek itself was close to a sprawling mountain range, one which Jinx was no doubt more comfortable with than himself given her wandering.
Suspicious was a good word for the sensation that suddenly sat in the pit of his stomach. He could not fathom the thought of Jinx leaving the creek, so that still eluded him on some level. But Njal found her to be peculiar, suddenly. It was just a feeling. "The herds will be moving in to the plains when spring is in full force," he commented dryly, trying to resist the seed of doubt which had planted itself within his mind. "And with the river filling with spawning fish, I doubt we would need to go so far. It is a long way to go for a few sheep, which are on our own nearby mountains." With that he silenced, but his tongue thoughtfully drifted out and across his snout - a tell. A new level of scrutiny entered his warm gaze, which now cooled considerably. Njal said nothing more, but there was something off about everything.
"Yes, that is true," she agreed, ironically oblivious to his dawning realization. "But we cannot feed on fish forever. Red meat is better for strength and fat, and we have comparatively little of it running about." By that, Jinx meant within their territory. Theirs was a mostly open territory, where the wolves were easily seen. Prey animals were smarter than to wander about in open stretches where they could be targeted with little effort, or so Jinx thought. There was a vast abundance of prey in the neutral lands surrounding them, but Jinx begrudgingly knew they could not hunt there freely, thanks to their leader's vague agreement with Xi'nuata.
This fact she sought to reveal to Njal. "Our inconsiderate neighbours will challenge us for every scrap of meat outside our borders. I met with their bitch, recently, and was informed they expect us to stay meekly within our own lands while they... How did she put it..." Jinx paused, thinking back to her encounter with Xi'nuata, blissfully unaware that Njal had a relationship with the woman, "ah, do and hunt as they please. I promised to feed her her own throat if I saw her anywhere near us.
Nevertheless, I do not like the prospect of having to fight stinking, self-righteous curs off every meal. You and Fox may be okay with eating fish all summer, but I am not." Rolling her shoulders, Jinx glanced toward the mountain's face, still rather oblivious to Njal's inkling doubt. "If I must wander farther to hunt without their interference, I shall. This land is completely unoccupied. The prey here will be fat and lazy, and since they show no interest in it, it is free for our taking."
For a time Njal was concerned, but he did not voice his concern. A part of him didn't understand
why he was suddenly apprehensive about being here with Jinx, only that he felt out of place. He listened to the woman speak and was surprised again, but this time by her description of the Vale wolves. He latched upon that, and naturally dismissed his misgivings for another time - saving Jinx for the time being from any sort of interrogation.
To think that the Vale were so greedy, so maniacal, did not sit with Njal at all. He had known Xi'nuata briefly and she was unspoiled. The warden spent too much time on the borders of the creek though, and only knew of the rising trouble with the mountain pack through the grapevine. This information that Jinx now claimed as truth made his spine bristle slightly; he still considered the Vale to be an enemy by proximity, but not Xi'nuata. And she was the only bitch that Njal could think of when the white woman spoke.
"...I do not like the prospect of having to fight stinking, self-righteous curs off every meal." Jinx commented with a swift vehemence, and the rest of her words fell away from his attention.
"I do not believe you." The man was blunt and bold now, but he remembered his place - ears flicking back with a subtle apology for the outburst. Jinx was still his superior after all. "Xi'nuata is an honourable woman, and I expect her family to be the same." He did not want to expose his dealings with her to Jinx, fearing it would return to Fox and once again cost him his place in the pack. It wouldn't be just Njal that would be punished, but Tuwawi and their family.
This was an immediate threat, and it prompted the man to reconsider his placement here upon the mountain. Njal showed a sudden disinterest in the conversation, turning from the Beta and swaggering a few steps to peer over a nearby ledge, contemplating his departure. He couldn't just leave though, after that comment. "If she made such threats they would be idle ones, I am sure. She only means to protect what she has, which is what we all want." He cast a careful look upon the sharp-eyed girl but made sure to defer to her with a flick of his eyes, trailing her limbs to the point of her black toes.
Oops she's just like her mommy
Her eyes flashed sharply when the Gamma claimed not to believe her, and it was all she could do not to scruff him into the dirt.
"You do not believe me?" she repeated, casting her voice low and dripping with incredulity. Njal claimed Xi'nuata was honourable, which could only mean that Njal had something to do with her. Jinx was not smart by any means, and could easily be lied to and misled, but when it came to suspecting something, she was quick to draw conclusions.
"I see," she said when he finished, peeling back her lips in a harsh grin.
"If this Xi'nuata is so honourable, go grovel for her and lick her toes. Do not deign to call me a liar, Gamma." Thrusting her ears toward him, the woman took on the towering aspect of a fierce warrior, lashing her tail behind her.
"Any threat, idle or not, is still a threat. I do not care if she does not mean to follow through, she has still threatened to encroach on the Creek. If you would defend her and her threats, you are a traitor to our pack. Do not give me a reason to bring this to Fox, Njal." Her meaning was clear, of course. She expected him to walk away, now, and not speak another word in support of this... Xi'nuata.
Her reaction should have been expected, but it was not. Njal did not flinch away from her hulking figure as she took on the characteristics of a woman scorned - a Kesuk scorned, had he known more about her ilk - but he did lower his posture considerably, as he was instinctually driven to do so. Jinx lashed him with her tongue, and brought about a proper threat to
him now, one which had been bubbling in the back of his mind. Flavouring the end of the encounter.
Perhaps he would go to visit the Vale wolves and get the story straightened out. First he would need to find Fox and finish the duty she had granted him; perhaps enlighten her to Jinx's odd behaviour upon the mountain. As Jinx named him a traitor he raised himself up, bristling with a silent indignation - and yet, said nothing. "Do not give me a reason to bring this to Fox, Njal." She chided him, filled with a heated irritation that Njal was eager to avoid.
He turned then and began to evacuate the area. Not a word, not a single betrayal of his thoughts or feelings - although that itself was an expression. Many things now sat within his mind and he needed to return to the creek promptly. The mountain could be abandoned to Jinx, for now.
[Exit Njal]
Coldly, she watched his retreating form until it faded into the distance. Only then did she let out her bated breath. There was nothing she could do about it, but she suspected he would return to Fox with his thoughts and opinions. Deciding that it didn't matter and that the Alpha would trust her, the Beta, over the Gamma, Jinx turned away from the dark figure of Njal and resumed her roaming.
As she went, she urinated once or twice on locations she thought interesting, staking once and for all the very beginnings of a claim. Should word of Jinx's encounter with Xi'nuata make it back to Fox, and should the Alpha have an issue with the way things were handled, she might have need of Silvertip before she expected to.