Wolf RPG

Fox lay in the sunshine, allowing its rays to warm her red fur coat. Troubling thoughts were far from her mind right now, and she focused on the things that were good. Peregrine was one of those things... and Lasher. There was Rina, the girl who had been in her service once before and had taken a liking to her. Fox wondered if she would make the same strong bonds here that she had in the creek. Surely it would be different, but she was also determined to make sure that she threw herself into her work. Not now, of course, because sunbathing was anything but work.

She meant to plant roots here, even if it was just a stepping stone to leading alongside Peregrine somewhere else. That thought had not left her mind, nor did she think that it would. To be below somebody else, especially a female, was hard on the girl's psyche. She was so used to being on top, and the hunger for that spot was not one that could be sated any other way.

Dante caught sight of the reddish wolf sitting alone and almost walked by, assuming that she did not want to be bothered right now. She looked particularly at peace in the silence. However, a brief pause changed his mind. One of his largest qualms about her new position in the Plateau was that he had no knowledge of the type of leader she was or even the type of individual. He didn't want to pass up such a golden opportunity to gain a little insight. If he was bothering her she could always tell him.

The large Gamma walked slowly towards her, smiling in a friendly manner. Despite not knowing her he had no reason to not expect the best. He tended to be rather optimistic when it came to first impressions as a rule. "Hey! Nice day, isn't it?" He too was enjoying the feel of the sun on his coat. "So, you are Fox. It's nice to meet you. My name is Dante." He wasn't sure if she had already surmised that or had any clue who he was. It was always polite to do the introductions in any event.

Fox was alerted to the other's presence with his footsteps followed by his cheery voice. She lifted her head just enough so that she could see him before slumping it back down to the grass. “Very nice day,” she said dreamily. “Pleasure to meet you, Dante.” The young leader stretched, allowing the grass to massage her body as she did so. Peregrine had not gone through the list of every single pack member, or she would have known that Dante was one of the top-ranking individuals here on the plateau.

“Why don’t you lay down beside me?” she offered, lazily motioning to the spot beside her. Fox's intentions were innocent, for she was used to pack-mates being affectionate and close with one another. Besides, she was relaxed, and she saw no reason not to spread her happy, lazy joy with this previously unknown pack-mate.

She seemed in a top mood, a good thing, and Dante smiled at her pleasant and leisurely delivered greeting. She certainly looked comfortable enough lying there. Her invitation surprised him a bit but he took her up on it, lying with some space between them. He also remained upright though enjoyed the cool grass on his stomach and legs. Dante wasn't particularly physically affectionate for a wolf. Fox seemed much more comfortable with that sort of thing. He knew he sometimes came off as uptight but didn't mind... He just liked to keep to himself.

Especially with Peregrine's pair bond. He didn't want any misunderstandings. The fact that he was poly didn't necessarily mean he wasn't jealous of those outside their three.

"So, what do you think? How's the pack treating you?" He was sincerely curious. He hadn't heard much fallout after the meeting but he wasn't directly involved. Also, he generally wondered how she was fitting in. If she was having any problems, he'd like to help.

Dante may have considered himself uptight, but if he was acting so, Fox didn't take any notice. He accepted her offer and slid to the ground beside her, asking her about the pack and how it had been treating her. After the drama with Blue Willow, Hawkeye, and Ferdie, she decided she couldn't exactly say that it had been great. “Decently,” she finally replied, deciding that word would have to do. If anything, there were a few wolves she could say that she liked and mutually respected... but there were still plenty more to meet.

“What do you think?” she asked, making it obvious that she was talking about herself. Clearly, nobody had cheered their newly-crowned Beta when the announcement was made. If anything, it had merely been a tense silence after the news was given at the pack meeting. Nobody had spoken up to say they were glad, but nobody had spoken up to say they were outraged, either. Fox had a feeling most of them were on the latter side of the fence.

Dante was glad to hear that the response was at least positive if not completely enthusiastic. At least it hadn't been 'terribly'. He imagined there were still some with trepidations: he wouldn't entirely count himself outside of that number. But he was willing to give her a fair shake.

"I think... that I do not yet know you. But I also have no reason not to believe that you will do fine here. I am willing to let time reveal that." He responded, knowing what it was that she wanted to hear from him. "And I think that others will too. But it will only get easier the more you prove to the pack that you will put them first." That seemed to be the biggest issue here. Fox hadn't been here long enough to have shown her loyalty true to not only Peregrine, but the pack itself. The line was fine but it was there and he wondered what would happen should she be forced to tread it.

"Every conversation is a start, though, right?" He smiled at her. After today they would cease to be strangers, a transition that did much to ease his mind. A first impression could tell a lot about a wolf, and so far, this one had a favorable feel to it.

Fox had always been, and likely always would be, a selfish beast at heart. She put her own life above all others... and she thought that everybody else did, too. They were just not very honest with themselves when asked. Of course, she did care about her pack-mates... she just wasn't willing to die in order for them to live. This, of course, included even her relatives and closest friends. It was instinctual, to be sure, but not something she openly admitted during a first encounter. Instead, she took Dante's words to mean that she would lead them well and would make the necessary calls when needed. And that, of course, she would do.

To his rhetorical question, she gave a lazy nod. One by one, she would meet the members of the plateau and allow herself to be judged... harshly or otherwise. If they were going to live under her rule, it was probably best that they at least have a conversation with her. She wondered if others often joined packs without a conversation, but assumed it was true, considering she'd had more than one come to the creek's borders and join their ranks with little more than an exchange of names.

“Have you been living here long?” Fox inquired, shifting herself around in the grass to make herself more comfortable.

He truly hoped that she won over the pack. It would mean that she was doing her job right and doing it well, two things that Dante highly wished for her sake as well as their own. As he had thought when Osprey Jr disappeared though, Blacktail Deer Plateau was a strong pack. He doubted she could do too much to harm them.

It seemed they were moving on from the heavier topics, a change that Dante accepted. There wasn't much more to be said. "Only a few moons. Not nearly as long as some, but longer than others. Feels like a lifetime though." He couldn't imagine what his life would be like if he had made a different decision. His heart was firmly planted here now.

He didn't need to ask her, for he knew her answer. However, he was curious about something else. "Was the Creek your first pack? Or did you come from outside these lands?" It didn't seem like many he met originated here. It was sort of a melting pot, a place they all washed up and decided to remain.

Fox shook her head at his question. “The creek was formed shortly after I arrived in the area,” she replied, “I come from further east.” She wasn't sure if she'd come from the north-east or south-east, exactly, but she had definitely come from the east. There was no ocean where she was from, nor had she really explored the coast much at all. She preferred dirt to sand, and freshwater to saltwater.

There had been a time when Fox had thought she would never leave Swiftcurrent Creek. But that time had passed, and now she knew that wherever Peregrine went, she would be there with him. There was no question about it. She was his, and he was hers.

He nodded at her words. "You are young, to have been in such a position." Even now she was, for she was easily a year his junior. Yet that was never something that would bother him. A wolf's measure was not in age, but in how they commanded themself. She seemed pretty well grounded, at least from his standpoint.

"You are a lucky woman, but somehow I feel Peregrine is fortunate as well. I think you will do well here, for what my opinion is worth." Some might say their conversation wasn't enough to get the measure of anyone, but Dante felt differently. You could tell a lot about someone by simply speaking and watching how they reacted both in words and body language. And from what he could tell, Fox was a pretty straightforward, cards on the table type. If the honesty he thought he read pervaded then at least he would know where he stood with her. And that he could appreciate.

Perhaps she was young, but Fox certainly didn't feel young. She had been a leader twice now, in two different packs, and she would soon have children to care for. Bones had been young, Perry's children were young. Fox was... well, not young, in comparison to them. But she could understand why Dante might call her that. She wondered how old he was, but didn't bother to ask.

Fox rolled to her feet at the mention of Peregrine's name. “It’s worth something,” she chirped back at him. And she meant it. The more wolves of the plateau that accepted her, the less likely they were to run into problems. “I think I’m going to go figure out where he is.” And although she didn't specify, she assumed that Dante would understand that "he" meant "Peregrine." With a bounce in her step and eyes wide with delight, she trotted off to find her lover.