Wolf RPG

Perhaps he should have made a point to meet his alpha, but Sidewinder hadn't seen the benefit to doing so just yet, so he'd let it slide. He had probably let it slide for far too long, considering the spine had been his home for the better part of the month now. Still, he made no move to track down the top dog, especially considering the lower dog had taken him in without much question at all. Perhaps they had been desperate. If so, they had not chosen wisely. Winder was the fickle sort, and rarely kept promises. Those he kept were only honored because it meant there was something in it for him.

Waking from a nap, Winder rose to all fours, stretched his shoulders, followed by his hips, and yawned, punctuating it all with something between a howl and a pleased growl. He had slept well since moving in with this lot of wolves. Not only that, but he'd been fed well. It would make a fine camp for the winter, at least, and then when the weather warmed, he could go back to doing what he did best: vagabonding.

While Mordecai had taken a hand in the majority of the recruits now within the Spine, there was one that had slipped in without much of his notice. It had been a gradual thing, but one that he could only let slide by for so long. Curiosity tempted him so, but it was also more than just curiosity that drove him to seek out one particular wolf. It was necessity in a sense, but only the sort that required him to have some familiarity in the wolves who made their home within the claim of his territory.

In the depths of the conifers, it was the noisy awakening that had helped him to finally pinpoint where to find this fellow. Mordecai honed in on his location with some precision, though he long forewent saying it was anything precise in reality. He emerged from the lush green pines smoothly, his eyes wandering the terrain until he found the stark absence of color that was none other than someone he didn't recognize. Holding his distance, he gave a low chuff in an attempt to gather attention.

Winder's ears pivoted toward the audible greeting. His head followed suit, then his body, and soon, Sidewinder was face what was quite obviously a leader. Having already met the Beta male, he could only assume this was the spine's leader. Winder's tail immediately dropped to his hocks, and his ears splayed out atop his head. The male licked his lips, a calming signal to show that he was deferring to Mordecai's status as top dog.

“I don’t believe we’ve met,” he said, taking a few cautious steps toward his leader. “I’m Sidewinder Numitor.” Of course, Sidewinder knew they hadn't met. It was not just some belief. He may have seen the Alpha in passing from time to time, but he'd given no more than a nod in his direction.

The pale fellow deferred easily; a good sign among so many questionable ones in the latter portion of the days. Mordecai closed in some of that distance as he did, reaching out to curiously draw in the various musks that adorned his otherwise starkly colored body. It was faint, but Mordecai was willing to wager that Kaname had taken him in, which left an interesting, almost residual feeling for the tawny Ostrega. He couldn't quite place a proverbial finger on it, but it was not an overly positive one.

“We haven't, actually. Not formally, anyway. I'm Mordecai,” he offered up with a well meaning smile. Perhaps they had seen one another in passing, but it was often hard to keep track of that. Mordecai saw many in passing, some busy, others not so much. “I see you've found a nice spot for a nap. How's that working out for you?” For all Sidewinder seemed, he appeared healthy enough. Travel worn, but at that point, they all may as well have been to some degree. The shift of seasons had certainly brought them to a much busier period of their lives.

Mordecai. Well, this wasn't one of the two wolves that Sidewinder was currently seeking, so there was that. Winder wasn't sure if Mordecai was trying to make some kind of comment on his lack of contributions or if he was genuinely curious about his sleeping habits. Being the optimist (or just playing dumb), Sidewinder answered with a simple, “Not bad.” His nap had been adequate, at the very least. Nobody had bothered him, and he hadn't felt particularly cold or warm. His muscles had felt at ease when he had stretched, instead of feeling like a pretzel.

“Does that make you the alpha, then?” Winder asked. He assumed so, based on Mordecai's stance alone, but maybe this guy was just running around pretending to be the head honcho. It would not have been the first time Winder had run into such a thing, and it likely wouldn't be the last.

Well, at least his nap had been decent. Mordecai, for the most part, didn't quite realize just how badly that sentence could have been taken. It seemed like something to be genuinely interested about, if only for the topic options it opened up. It would not have set well with the fledgling alpha if every time Sidewinder had been trying to rest, he had been harassed, or something along those lines. But that seemed unlikely for the most part (though truthfully Mordecai would not have put it past Cara to wake him), and in part to his feeling that their morale was high. They need that, after such a sordid history in a small amount of time.

The question that came forward next drew a slight chuckle out of Mordecai, who ultimately wasn't certain whether or not he should have been amused or offended. “Yeah, you have me pegged me right. I guess I should apologize for not seeking you out sooner, assuming that you're the fellow Kaname took in.” Kaname had spent his time about the borders, but for the most part it had been Mordecai who had done the seeking and finding. Only now did he feel that he wished Kaname had called him in for a word, if only so they could have at least met properly. But, kinks in the system were bound to happen, or at least Mordecai was willing to believe. For how long though, he couldn't have said.

“Consider the apology accepted,” Sidewinder replied, the corners of his mouth upturned in a small smile. If he could make nice with Mordecai, his stay here might be quite pleasant. Winder did plan on staying through the winter, at the very least, unless they deemed him too lazy to keep around. He would hunt on occasion, once he had depleted the caches of whatever was left in them, but he did not intend to refill them with surplus. No, that he would stash away for his own uses.

“Did Kaname do something wrong by allowing me shelter here?” he asked, innocently enough. Winder had found it strange that Mordecai seemed barely aware of his presence here. Perhaps he and Kaname were not exactly best friends forever. Maybe they had more of a frenemy type of situation, and Winder was eager to hear more, if that was the case.

Sidewinder seemed like a nice enough fellow to have in their ranks. Of course, had Mordecai known his true intentions, it was a safe bet that things would have gone differently. Perhaps time would bring those to light, but one could have never been certain. Reclining to his haunches as a query reached his ears, Mordecai rolled his furry shoulders in a shrug. Was it wrong of Kaname to offer him shelter? Perhaps not. But the fledgling alpha did not have a loose tongue so readily.

“I don't think he did,” Mordecai answered. “Do you think it was a bad idea for him to take you in?” Maybe the gesture had surprised him, because it had for Mordecai. Kaname had become increasingly elusive in the weeks leading up to their progressive shift in leadership. It was that which made Mordecai consider that perhaps he too, did not care for the Ostrega's intrusion enough to approach him.

“Mayhaps,” Winder replied with a sly grin. “One can never truly know the intentions of another.” For all Sidewinder knew, Mordecai was out to take over the world and murder everybody he came into contact with... and for now, he was just biding his time. As far as Winder was concerned, it didn't really matter. He was here, soaking up all the niceties of pack life without having to work for it. Eventually, somebody would catch on, but he could always pick up the slack for a little while until they backed off... and then go right back to his old ways.

Kaname had asked very little of Winder when they had met on the border. There had been a girl—Mara, was it?—whom had initially met him, but it was Kaname that had made the final call and invited Sidewinder in for good. Once in, there was little Winder needed to do to remain, save show his face here and there. He caused no trouble, made no noise, and kept to himself without being too reclusive.

Sidewinder did bring a good note to light, which in all actuality troubled Mordecai. While Kaname and he had always been on decent terms, Mordecai knew they were not the best. Cara had no doubt, at least in his mind, served a purpose to cause a lot of that. “Very true,” he said however, finding that he still had the ability to add a chuckle in. Now wasn't the time to let it trouble him, he realized. He would deal with later, because the statement was befitting of everyone.

“Would you take for a bit of exploration with me? I'd like to get to know you a bit better.” A proposition seemed like the best route to go and one that Mordecai didn't feel would be turned down. He did not know what Sidewinder had explored of the Spine, and truth be told there were still nooks and crannies that Mordecai sought to discover for himself. Most of his time lately had been out near the borders, which had always provided some explorative fruits.

Ah, yes, the dreaded "let's get to know each other" routine. Winder had heard it all before, and he loved to craft new stories each time somebody asked. Even if it was the same somebody. Nevertheless, if Winder really was going to stay here through the winter, he may as well make it as comfortable as possible, so he nodded amiably and strode alongside Mordecai, shoulder-to-shoulder.

“What is it you’d like to know?” he asked, allowing the leader to guide their conversation, and journey, in whatever direction he wished to. Winder had never been particularly good at the leading thing, anyway.

As they moved on, Mordecai led them in no particular direction. They were bound to come across something out there, whether it was close to where they were or even further within the basin that made up their sloping, varied territory. He was glad that Sidewinder had chosen to join him, even though he supposed it was unlikely that any wolf would have turned down an offer from their alpha.

“Well, how about we start with the beginning. What brought you to the Spine? Did you travel a lot before here?” His interest was genuine, unavoidably so. Mordecai enjoyed the stories of others, considering that many who came through the wilderness they found themselves in were not native to the region. He had yet to meet anyone who was truly native, though was naive still enough to believe there had to be someone out there.

Questions of where he had come from, what he had done before. Sidewinder was used to these, and carefully crafted a story that was quite unlike the truth. “Winter,” he replied. Well, that part was not entirely untrue. Winter was a bitch to loners, but it was not that which had brought him to Ouroboros Spine in particular. He had come looking for a white-furred, white-eyed target, but he had found none just yet. Perhaps he could make that inquiry in another way, without rousing suspicion. “I was seeking a brother of mine,” he falsified, “White coat, like mine, but eyes just as white. He once went by the name of Viper, but he very well could have attempted to change it along the way.”

Allowing his feet to continue moving him forward, he glanced casually to Mordecai. “We grew up with one another, but when his dearest betrothed met an untimely death, he could not bear the thought of staying where they had spent so much of their lives.” There was a hint of sadness in Winder's voice as he slipped easily into this fallacy of such a tragic story. “I had heard rumors he might be here, but I have not seen him as of yet. With the cold closing in, I knew I must abandon my search… at least until spring.” Ah, yes. This would also give him an easy way to leave without too much trouble or hard feelings. A frown tugged his lips downward, and he cast his gaze to the cold dirt floor below them.

Falling into silence as Sidewinder spoke, Mordecai listened with rapt attention. His story was sad, but it seemed like he was after someone who had been pursued once before. Mordecai had been questioned about a particular white bodied, white-eyed wolf before and wondered briefly if the two creatures were one in the same. The odds of either creature being the same seemed astronomical, but it was that white-eyed bit that always lingered with him. The only beings Mordecai had ever met that were truly white-eyed were blind as all hell.

Yet there was more to ascertain from that story; the talk of spring. It was true that their numbers had bolstered with the oncoming winter, but most wolves had not determined themselves one way or another to him that they would be staying or going. A couple yes, and among these he made note to add Sidewinder into. Honesty went a long way with him. “Well, not all may be lost in your hunt because of winter,” he said, briefly drawing his glided gaze to his companion. “At one point, one of our neighbors to the north were looking for a wolf that matches your description. I'm afraid they weren't looking for him for good reason, though.” He didn't know what kind of a creature Sidewinder's brother was, but if he were a violent one, then Mordecai felt resolute in being one who was also in distant pursuit of him.

Assuming they were one in the same wolf, of course.

Ah, so the sand wolves had sent more than one sentry to find this white-eyed beast. It made sense to exhaust all possible resources in order to track somebody down, and Winder gleaned from Mordecai's remarks that this man was quite possibly violent. It only followed that they would rather send some stranger, rather than their own friends and family, to find him. Sidewinder took note of this, and would keep his distance from his "brother," should he ever manage to find him. But if he was not here, as Mordecai so much as stated, where had he gone?

Frowning, Sidewinder continued in silence for only a moment or two after Mordecai had revealed so much—and so willingly!—to him in such a short amount of time. "I spoke to them," he replied, telling the truth for a moment. "They had said he might have come here, which was part of the reason I found myself upon your borders. It seems he had made his way elsewhere already." Winder kept a troubled look upon his face, gazing ahead at the trail that lay before them.

Sidewinder did not seem all that surprised with the information that Mordecai gave, and it soon became clear why. He had been to the coast in search of his brother, and had been more or less told the same that Mordecai had gathered. Well, maybe not gathered so much as accused of harboring said individual. While unaware that they actually had at one point, Mordecai had and still was not sure of what to make of such prediciment. More importantly, if not for the fact that Sidewinder had probably been told about it, he would not have been inclined to share all of the details about it. Primarily as to who had been attacked.

But in light of that, he felt the inclination now. “The wolf he attacked is my brother's mate, so you could say that they aren't the only ones who have wanted to look for him.” Though the words held no particular emotion behind them, he could not avoid the coldness he sense in his own tone. Mordecai had not quite met Julooke, but family was family. He too, kept his eyes to the trail ahead of them and let silence fall between them for a moment. “Though to be honest, I'm not even sure your brother lived here at all. If he had, I'm certain he would have been found out and run out. If not by those who live here, then by me.” He sighed, giving his furry shoulders a shrug between steps.

Sidewinder listened with curiosity. If Mordecai was telling the truth—and Winder had no reason to believe that he was not—then the woman from the coast had pointed him in the wrong direction entirely. Even more interesting it was to hear that this white-eyed wolf was something of kin to Mordecai. If Sidewinder did manage to hunt him down and pinpoint his whereabouts, there may be more of a reward than he ever could have imagined. Perhaps it would buy him easy freedom when spring arrived. And if Mordecai and the coast woman ever conversed, Winder could reply that he had only made the story to find her target. Things would fall into place nice and neatly.

“That is disappointing news,” Sidewinder replied, “and it only makes my search all the more urgent. I fear that he is not right with himself, and I must find him before he does anything else so drastic. Have I permission to search for him this winter, provided I return with his whereabouts?” The winter was harsh, but so long as Sidewinder had a base to return to and replenish himself, he could make days-long trips during even the coldest months. It would mean that he would not be giving back to the pack while he was away, but he hadn't been doing that since he arrived (not that he'd shouted it to the world or anything).

Interestingly enough, Mordecai found himself surprised slightly by the response he received from Sidewinder. Granted, he had already made it clear that his stay was likely only through the winter. The information that Mordecai had was old by any means, at least for tracking. The temperatures hadn't even dropped as sharply as they did now, though he couldn't have put it to an exact timeline. The trees had still had their leaves. Verrine's children had only just been born. And then he realized that the silence that had come was now lasting longer than it should have, and he reeled away from his thoughts.

“That's a lot to be asking for,” he said, wondering if maybe it really wasn't. Still, was that something he wanted to encourage? Having all of them roam? It almost felt hypocritical in hindsight, because Mordecai was a bit of a roamer himself. “What I know is quite old. The chances are your brother is long gone from these lands altogether, and I'm not saying that to discourage you either.” And either way, he didn't like the feeling that he was getting; the sudden resurgence of his distaste for politics rolled back like bile in his belly. Selfishly, he felt the Spine needed all the able bodies it could handle, at least to get through the winter. Mordecai did not venture to think of what spring would do to their pack.

The response wasn't entirely positive, but Sidewinder had not expected it to be. Still, he had a feeling he could worm his way into getting what he really wanted. Knowing that it was Mordecai's family that "Viper" had attacked would give him another sticking point. “If you were looking for your own brother,” Sidewinder asked, “would you not do whatever was in your power to find him?” Perhaps, if Winder could play on Mordecai's emotions, he could get what he wanted. And if no permission was given... well, he would do what he wanted to anyway.

If it was Mordecai's will to kick him to the curb, then so be it. If not, Sidewinder would continue to do what he did best: look for answers. And honestly, he could always move on to another pack if Mordecai wasn't happy with the way he dealt with things. A poor attitude, probably, but Winder had never been known as a picture of respect or honor.

The statement certainly did prey on Mordecai's emotions. He wondered if he was considered the missing family in his own birthplace, but doubted it. He had left with reason, he had left with saying goodbyes. But there were pieces of his family that were missing, pieces that he had perhaps little or no hope of seeing again. And of course, he wondered if there were wolves within his family that had gone out seeking him, after all this time. It had been years since Mordecai had left Sedona, years since he had seen many of those members within his family.

But then again, it wasn't like he had ever left the Spine to join Verrine at any point. The thought had crossed his mind, as it was always an option. Family was certainly a very powerful sway, this he knew. “It would depend on the circumstance, I suppose,” he admitted, but with some reluctance. If Verrine had gone mad, he supposed he would have done everything in his power to find him and fix the matter regardless of outcome. “But I would imagine in your shoes I would want the same. Only now I have more to consider than chasing after my own family.” It was a very strange tightrope to be walking on, he discovered.

“You have to understand that this is not a decision I am willing to make at a moment's notice. You're asking for the use of our food, our work, to aid you and you alone. What do we get in return?” He did not see Sidewinder contributing if he was merely coming and going as he pleased. And with his statement of only being there through until the spring came, or at least the implication, Mordecai found himself less inclined to give in.

Sidewinder watched, trotting alongside his Alpha as he made his decision in so many words. Pulling the family card had worked, and Winder stored this information away for future use. It seemed that Mordecai was a respectable, upstanding family man, which was something that Winder could use to his advantage. It was no surprise that Mordecai would have done the same for his own brother, if put into Sidewinder's shoes. Or rather, the fictional shoes he had invented. How easy this was turning out to be.

There was a catch, of course. Mordecai wanted something in return. “The knowledge that your sister-in-law’s attacker is under control,” Winder replied, the answer coming to him quicker than he had expected. It sounded as though Mordecai had wanted to look for the attacker, at least on some level, but his responsibilities as a leader had not allowed him to travel as he wished to do.

Sidewinder had a feeling that he would not get his answer now, nor did he think that continuing to present his case would help him, so he offered Mordecai an easy out. “Take your time in making your decision,” Winder suggested, “It is not as if Viper is going to get much further once winter settles in.” If no more attacks had been reported, there was probably little to worry about.

It wasn't an easy out that Mordecai sought, but it was one that he took a hold of anyway. The knowledge that his brother's mate would be safe was a tempting one, but not really the justice that he wanted. In a way, he would have rather brought her and her pack his head, as a means to curry favor with them should things have gone horrifically south in the Spine. For as upstanding as Mordecai could have been, he was not without his scrupules either. Even so, he wouldn't have known where to begin, let alone the fact that all he had was a description to go on.

“I will think about it,” he said agreeably to the option he had been presented. Though truthfully, Mordecai did not see what would stop Sidewinder from pursuing his own interests once they had parted. He already had thus so far from what he understood, what information he had gathered, and that alone was enough to plant the seed in his head to keep a focused eye on the alabaster creature. Chances were anyway, Sidewinder was right; his brother probably hadn't gone very far at all with winter coming. Perhaps that had changed his tune altogether.

And think he would. Sidewinder need not argue with that. Mordecai could take his time, and Sidewinder would do whatever Sidewinder pleased. It was the way of things for him, and he had no intention of changing his ways merely because he wanted an easier life in the winter. There were plenty of other packs around, from what he had gathered, and it would be easy to slip into another one if Mordecai deemed him unworthy of this one. Winder would go peacefully, so long as they allowed him to. He was a pacifist at heart, never wishing to cause a lot of noise where he did not absolutely have to.

“I’ll await your answer,” Sidewinder rep(lied). He fully intended on continuing his search, with or without Mordecai's permission. His trips would last a few days at most, and considering he had only just met the Alpha, he doubted that this would arouse too much suspicion. And if it did, Mordecai could find him and confront him. Winder had a feeling that the swarthy leader was unlikely to cause a commotion where it wasn't strictly needed.

Sidewinder continued his pace alongside Mordecai in a comfortable silence.

As the two continued along, Mordecai allowed a bit of silence to drop in between them. He took the time to draw in their surroundings at full, wondering just what the Spine would look like come the onslaught of winter to their door. Assuming it would be an onslaught, anyway. If nothing else, Mordecai hoped that winter would come on gradually, easing them in when it could easily just swoop down from wherever it came from and bury them alive beneath ice and snow.

There were obvious preparations he should have been doing for himself in light of that possibility, but the fledgling alpha still preferred to sleep beneath the stars when he could. Stepping across a patch of exposed rock, he brought himself to a slow stop and drew in the various scents that had worked their way across the same path. “What do you think of the Spine so far, though? I know you haven't been here long, but I'd imagine you've seen your fair share of places along your journey.” This played at another thing Mordecai was not keen on letting go — his curiosity. The roads he had traveled were numerous and long.

“Mmm,” Sidewinder agreed. He had indeed seen many places throughout his travelling. If he'd been the more sentimental type, he might have kept a list of his favorites. He had seen rivers, mountains, canyons, lakes, oceans, forests, and deserts of all types. Some were visually pleasing, others were harsh places to live, but most were generic and boring. But Mordecai had not asked about all the other places, only of Ouroboros Spine. Guessing that Mordecai was fond of his home (why else would he be here?), Sidewinder replied appropriately. “It’s a fine place for a home.”

“Did you choose it?” Winder asked. He could not recall if Mordecai had been here since the pack's foundation, nor did he even know if the pack had been around for too terribly long. It seemed mildly unstable, or so was the feeling Winder got from its members. They seemed... disjointed, unorganized. That, of course, made it the perfect target for a winter stay. With things teeter-tottering, Sidewinder's lack of loyalty would be the norm.