Scout followed behind Jace, eager to meet this Bazi and to prove himself to her. Deeper and deeper they went into the territory, and Scout tried to take in as much detail as possible.
The yearling made long, graceful strides as his powerful legs worked to move him. His gray-tan fur was a soothing mixture as he softly padded behind the large black wolf. Sniffing ahead of them in hopes to get a hint of a newcomer.
Jace was making swift pace his blue eyes watching for a hint of white fur around the edges of his vision. Bazi wasn't usually this hard to find, the one day he would actually really need her he would have a hard time finding her, just the way his luck rolled.
Occasionally he would looked behind him to make sure the other yearling was following close behind. They were quite a young pack for the most part, Fox would have her choice of males next season. IN a way Jace hoped he wasn't on that list at all. No offense to the red furred female but he wanted a love match if he were to ever settle down, not a match made of convenience.
Besides that he was fairly certain it would be hard for him to find a mate, given his current rages and the like. he looked back So tell me Scout have you been a loner long?
Bazi was spending more and more time within Swiftcurrent Creek, and rarely went on scouting missions alone. She had responsibilities now, and to be caught unawares by a bear or an aggressive stranger whilst gallivanting around Teekon Wilds for no real reason would be disastrous.
She was on the hunt for yarrow when Jace and the newcomer came into view, and raised her white head from a cluster of flowers to stare as they approached her. The pack's ranks were swelling at an alarming rate, but as long as that influx was made up of able-bodied individuals, she was happy to welcome them. Whoever this was, Fox or Njal must have deemed them worthy, otherwise they would not be following Jace so boldly into the heart of the territory.
Scout faltered his steps for but a moment. His eyes glowed a little less as he was come over with grief. He picked his pace back up and looked at the Earth. "Only for a few weeks, at the most..."
He came across a new scent. Looking up, he saw a white head poking up from the ground. It looked comical, and it made Alex smile, his eyes glimmered with laughter for a moment before returning to their dull, grieving state. "Is that Bazi?" he asked, pointing his nose in the arctic wolf's direction.
Jace grinned at Bazi's look and chuckled Oh yea that's Bazi. he shook his head in mirth. He chuffed at her and motioned for her to come near him.
he smiled at her and offered her a greeting before he delivered his message. Hello Bazi how are you today? Looking for something? he motioned towards the flowers wondering what she was looking for perhaps some more Yarrow, speaking of which he needed to hunt some out himself.
He then motioned to Scout, Bazi this is Alex, but he is known as Scout. He has been offered a place among us, but for a price. Njal wants you to assign him a task for outriding and if he succeeds he is a part of us.
Jace then shifted his shoulders and waited silentely near to see how the two would get along.
I hope it's OK that I assume things based no his health stat?
Her friend and the stranger stopped a little distance away, and Bazi closed the distance at a walk.
"Yarrow," Bazi responded, wagging her tail at Jace's pleasant greeting. He seemed to have recovered well from her interrogation and was back to his old, outgoing self.
Alex - or Scout - certainly had the build for an outrider, and his colouring made him far less noticable than Bazi, who shone like the moon against any dark surface.
Winter was her time, but the Teekon Wilds was only cloaked in white for a quarter of the year. She walked round the newcomer without asking permission, sniffing at his face, tail, sides and shoulders. He would need rest and fattening up before embarking on any serious mission, but the caches were full and the pack was strong.
"Fine," she agreed, stepping back.
"I've got a place in mind."
Bazi recalled the island she had spotted whilst bathing in the salted waters beyond Horizon Ridge. If Scout could make it there and back without dying, it would be proof enough that his claims of being a good outrider were true.
i made it like that for that reason :p he's used to pack life, so a few weeks alone should've done a lot to his body
Alex was all of a sudden aware how his ribs stuck out. He felt perfectly fine, but his body must've said otherwise.
As the female walked around him, the suddenly self conscious Scout lowered his head in a respectful greeting.
"Hello, Miss Bazi..."
He suddenly cursed his boyish voice. He wanted to sound mature, but his voice thought otherwise, apparently. After Bazi deemed she knew a place, Alex felt a seed of determination grow. He was silent as he waited for Jace or Bazi to explain.
Jace sat down on his haunches and looked around as Bazi came forward. I need to get some of that myself. that was all he said on the subject of the yarrow. He did not have any input at the moment this was Bazi's show after all he was just the messenger and the delivery boy so to speak.
He listened to the other male who was not much younger than him he wouldn't wager yet Jace's voice had already deepened. He was a youth, yet a man in a manner of speaking. He watched as Bazi his friend and his beat circled the poor beast and looked him over like he was for sale.
He knew the poor fellow looked a little worse for wear but being alone for a few weeks would do that to you.
Cool, just making sure! :D
Bazi was likely younger than Scout, but made up for it through force of personality and a strong sense of self-belief.
"There's an island off the coast in the north. I've been wanting to explore it for ages, but you have to sneak through controversial territory to get to the coast." she clarified, gaze straying into the distance. She hadn't been on a mission beyond the mountains in quite some time, and the prospect of stretching her legs somewhere new was exciting.
"Let's get you fed, first of all. Jace and I are both gamekeepers here, so I'm sure we can rustle up some grub from the caches.. some good red meat, I think. Do you like fish?" If not, he would soon learn to like it.
Scout flicked his ear at the prospect of easing through another pack's territory. The thought somehow excited him. He nodded with a faint glow of excitement in his eyes.
"Yes, I like fish." he had learned to like fish a long time ago. He found fishing a little easier than hunting, because mostly the prey comes to you.
Jace stood swiftly taken Bazi's words to be a silent command and he loped over to the nearest cache where he knew a leg of one of the many deer he and Bazi had killed lay. Digging it up he carefully pulled it into his jaws and loping back over he lay it down at the other males feet. Eat that should put some meat on your bones.
Jace's ears pricked forward at the mention of fishing his guilty pleasure he supposed, a task that he loved to do and would do it as often as time would allow. Jace wondered what lay beyond the coast and he wondered if he would be hired muscle for this or if they would prefer just the scouts go after all he was probably a bit slower the the othe two for the simple fact of his muscle mass.
Jace picked up on the cue and trotted off in the direction of the nearest cache. It was mostly thanks to him that Swiftcurrent Creek had a number of buried meals that bordered on ridiculous - Bazi preferred the hunt. The matured kill was dropped at Scout's feet, and the Beta nodded to confirm that yes, he could eat that now.
"Whilst you're recovering, you could find some of the other lower tier wolves and organize a fishing competition?" she suggested, planting her rear on the ground and craning her neck to clean her shoulder. Ferdie was less and less present, robbing Bazi of the luxury of a personal groomer. Preening had to be fitted in around everything else.
"An' u'll 'eed a den," she added without looking up, voice distorted as she nibbled hard at a knot-in-the-making.
Scout restrained himself from immediately pouncing on the leg meat. While he ate, he listened to Bazi, nodding. After swallowing a bite, Alex spoke, "A den shouldn't be too hard to find. And I'll be more than happy to partake in the fishing competition."
He tore another piece off the leg and chewed diligently. He was thinking. He tried to imagine what he'll need in his den to comfortable. He also wondered where it should be... maybe by the river?...
Bazi looked over at her swarthy companion, recalling that Jace - though he preferred to sleep under the stars - had had plans to build a shelter against the rain. "D'you ever build your den, Jace? Near mine?" She turned back to Scout, watching him strip flesh from bone in the manner of someone who had not eaten his fill in quite some time. If he kept this up, he would be fighting fit in no time.
"If not, maybe you two could combine efforts and dig in the same sort of area. I den with Ferdie - he's our caretaker - near the river, between a little cluster of trees. It's easy enough to find by scent." Truth be told, she had scarcely seen the increasingly distant Ferdie, and secretly wondered if it was time to graduate to a more interesting den-mate. Cutthroat, perhaps. His prisoner status hadn't really registered with Bazi; she understood that Fox had to be cautious, but the dark pirate had fought on their side against the Tortuga wolves and had defected easily enough afterwards. It was a crying shame that his presence had cost them Bones, but.. well, suffice to say that he held more interest for the single ladies of the Creek than the bouncy little juvenile had.
I guess I'm after Bazi now instead of scout yea?
Jace listened his ear twitching towards Bazi. no i haven't yet Bazi. Just haven't gotten around to it. Truth be told he hadn't been all that worried about it. It was almost summer time so the weathre wasn't to bad other than some rain and fog ever now and again.
Jace looked at scout and a small crooked smile took its place on his maw. bet ya i'll beat ya at fishing friend. I'm the fishing king. he teased gently.
Scout smiled at his challenge. "Yeah? I bet you would beat me, you live near a river! But, hey, I'll try at least."
He was so ravenous, he hadn't realized he had finished the leg, nearly picking it to the bone. He smiled sheepishly. "Uh, thanks for the meal."
My last post! :) I'll create a thread for Scout, Jace, and Alyss in a few days.
"That's settled, then. I'll leave you in Jace's capable paws and summon you when it's time to go - a few days from now." Bazi stepped forward to butt her head against the dark guardian's shoulder, and barked a farewell to the newbie. He had cleaned up every scrap of meat, and she stepped forward to snatch the remaining bone.
"I'll take this," she told them, holding the leg between her teeth as she sashayed off into the interior of the pack's territory.