He had easily fallen into old routines: solitary patrols. He liked it that way. It was easier to be alone than to try and pretend he was okay in front of the other members of the pack. He'd always preferred his own company save for the few he had been close with. But now they were all gone. He sighed and shook his head to rid his mind of the thoughts. He didn't want to wander down that depressing road right now. He was here to think of anything but his past.
He picked up his pace in hopes it would force him to think about the patrol. His paws on the cold snow, the scents filtering through his nose, the rare sounds of scurrying creatures as he scared them from their hiding places, his breath as it filled his lungs and then as it formed a cloud around his face. He fell into the desired zone. Pure focus as he continued to make his way through the mountains.
Most of her time had been spent on patrols -- some faster to cover the distance, others slower to really make sure there wasn't a missed point of coverage. This mountain was her land, and everyone's home now. It needed to be that as soon as possible. Today it seemed she wasn't alone, a sort-of-familiar face appeared along the border not too far away. She'd just been there a little earlier, she'd been taking her time or at least had been now that she'd stopped where a game trail crossed the border into their mountain territory. This was a spot that needed to be made unquestionably clear, and she was about done, having marked several yards of border near it in as many ways as she could think.
The boy had been quiet. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing, it was just a thing, one worth noting. There was likely a fair amount of that going on -- was anyone really happy about being forced to move like this? No. Plus there were plenty of foul things that had happened before. So! She whuffed to Kallik, a single wag of her tail because that's just how Arbiter was, Did you patrol before?
A responsible child was always a nice thing. It was just unfortunate that some of her own weren't quite so eager to please her.
The scent of the leader was common along the borders. He knew it well at this point and hadn't been pulled from is task initially. The scent was fresh, telling him she had been here recently. He stored the info away for no reason other than it was helpful to pick up on everyone's routines.
It wasn't until he heard her chuff from behind him that he broke his focus and slowed down a little. She asked him a question, thankfully one that was easy to answer with a quick nod. He didn't necessarily mind her company. Of all the new wolves in his life, he was most interested in knowing more about Arbiter. She reminded him of his father—a strong, commanding presence. He matched her pace, hoping to convey that he would patrol with her. Then he dropped his head to inspect the scents as he moved.
She was happy with the work she'd done here. It made a point. Deer might not care, but other canines would likely stop in their tracks. Maybe a few felines as well, if they knew what was good for them. So now with a companion in her patrol, it was time to move along. A final brush of a shoulder against a tree and she walked along, looking to see how previous marks had weathered the storm.
And he was still quiet. A budding guardian, from his nod. She did remember what Valette had said about other warriors appearing in her ranks, Have you been taught how to fight to defend them? Or begun to be, at least.
He was older than her daughter, so she hoped so, but she also wasn't sure how Easthollow arranged their own lessons. Perhaps they waited longer. The way Arbiter had presented the question was lightly curious (for her, at least). She was curious not only for her own sake, but because it would be good for Royal to potentially have a better role model than her other two littermates had been. Warlock had problems, and Brou was still a bit of a disaster. And where had Pheiros gone? He'd been the other reliable youngster (not so young now) around.
He watched her with veiled interest as she rubbed against a tree—he was curious to see what she did when she patrolled; maybe he could learn something new. If he was going to be strong like his father, strong enough to protect those who were close to him, he would need to learn everything there was to know about defending the borders of his new home.
Her question seemed to be in line with his thoughts; she wanted to know if he had started learning how to fight. Kallik shook his head. I want to,
he told her, his words quick and to the point. He preferred not to say much, and he didn't know her well enough to let his guard down any—not yet anyway. He would gladly take lessons from her, though; she seemed capable a strong, like he wanted to be.
She sniffed around, some of the scratch marks were buried from new snow. Unsurprising. She scraped it away, claws cutting into the dirt not far beneath. Her paws would leave enough scent here in the gap between the trees. A few more steps and she checked again, repeating the same motion as needed.
Multitasking this way was something she was quite used to, Good. Perhaps my daughter could train with you. Once the pack is settled, I'll be going back to catching her up in her training.
A pause. Unless you'd prefer someone else teach you.
There was that option too, not that she knew who might end up actually being able to do so. They were kind of lacking in that area. It needed to be fixed, yes. But only after they were settled, going in too many directions at once wouldn't benefit any of them.