It had been some time since Ira had gotten the choice to speak to @Jinx in a one on one fashion despite the fact that he saw her at different intervals throughout the week, and when they denned, and if it was not for the fact that he liked being close to Jinx (and partially liked bothering Lecter with his presence) Ira might have sought to den elsewhere. It was at the borders that he sought his mother guardian, while in a manner that he hoped was sneaky, kept his eye out for Bones of whom he had not seen in quite some time. It was true that she had pressing obligations within the Creek but this stretch of time that had passed since their last secret meeting with one another felt too long. There was something that felt off about the whole thing that left Ira with more questions than he had answers. It occurred to him that maybe Bones and him had finally been caught with their secret not-so-secret relationship and that maybe Fox had banned her from coming to see him. It sounded ridiculous, even to Ira but what else could her extended absence mean?

While Bones was not the sole reason he was patrolling the borders, and in fact neither was Jinx, he liked stalking the borders like some kind of Princeling wraith, Bones was part of what he wanted to talk to Jinx about. Ira had no real reason to hide his relationship with the Creek girl, and wanted his mother guardian to know that he wasn’t keeping anything sinister from her. He had been a little reclusive and Ira knew that, and accordingly, felt guilty about it, though not enough so to call off what he had with Bones. He didn’t see why Jinx would mind, or really, care, but he thought it was time he stopped sneaking in the dark about it. The other part being that given the stretch of time between the something of a schedule Bones had kept too, Ira with an inane urge that perhaps bothered him, thought maybe this time he could go see her, of which he needed permission for. Unlike an alarming amount of other wolves in Silvertip who went traipsing for reasons unknown to the Princeling too close to Swiftcurrent Creek’s borders without Jinx’s knowledge he sought her blessing to make the trip because he had no intentions of starting anything. He only wanted to see his girl, to assure himself that she was just busy and too tied up to make the trip herself.

It had taken Ira a while to get used to the uneven plains of their new location, the rocky terrain and the looming shadow above him had slowly began to become a comfort to the Princeling. It had begun to become home. He did not see the need to form attachments to territories - what was the point, he had often wondered, when it was likely the path of life would only take them to other places? Already, he had been in four packs and he was only seven months of age. He was reminded, with some past tendril of a memory, of Cain and how he had been cursed to wander the earth for eternity. Perhaps that was what Ira was ultimately destined to become. A wanderer. A wraith that haunted because it was all he had in life. No, no. That wasn’t true. He had Jinx. He had Silvertip. He had a home and as tentative as he dared call them: a family. Perhaps an extremely dysfunctional one but it was some semblance of a family, nevertheless. And he had Bones even if they remained parted, only seeing each other sporadically by circumstance. It was better than not seeing her at all, the Princeling reasoned, though the growing span of time between her last visit and now left Ira was the confrontation of the simple fact that he missed her.

Crystalline eyes snapped up in the direction of his Alpha and Guardian at her low grunt to announce her presence to him and as he took her in he felt a warmth spread in his chest; Ira acknowledged that he was genuinely happy to see Jinx. “Hello Jinx,” He greeted her with a wag of his tail, closing the distance between them easily, offering her a lick to her chin in submission and affection. He pulled back some, to give her space, and frowned for a few moments, fidgeting before he decided that it was definitively better if he just asked her right away so he could either get permission or he wouldn’t and that would be that. Ira, despite his self training, was still impatient in many aspects and he loathed the idea of beating around the bush. He wasn’t afraid of Jinx, only that she would deny him what he sought. “I must ask you something,” He broke the brief silence that he had allowed to form and fester, inhaling deeply the sharp tang of rock and the warmth of earth. “Well before that I suppose it is customary that I inform you of something, first, so that my question makes more sense,” He was talking rapidly, as if he were nervous. In a way, he sort of was. Ira supposed he could have easily told her that he was going and she wasn’t going to stop him but …Ira respected her far too much to do that to her. Beyond respecting her he also loved her. Accordingly, that made some kind of difference to his normal insolent, ‘do-whatever-I-want’ behavior suffice to say -- at least when it came to where Jinx was concerned (everyone else was fair game). “Bones and I are seeing each other. Like boyfriend, girlfriend stuff,” He admitted to the Kesuk scoffing slightly at his own embarrassment. “It’s long distance but we’ve …been making it work, I guess.” Ira wondered if he could be made to feel any more awkward about this conversation.

“I let her know not to come anywhere near our borders and to be careful in the territories near Silvertip. So, she knows not to overstep or anything, and this is all relevant to each other, I promise, it’s just that it’s been way too long since her last visit,” Maybe it was Ira’s imagination playing tricks on him but something didn’t feel right about her absence. “So I was wondering if I could be given permission to go to Swiftcurrent Creek…just to check up on her, make sure she didn’t get eaten or anything.” He attempted to crack a joke, even smiling for a few seconds before it vanished, his expression turning serious once more. Ira really didn’t want to admit to Jinx that he was worried about Bones but it was likely his Guardian had picked up on it because he was worried about Bones and it was very obvious.“I guess…if you don’t want me going all the way to Swiftcurrent Creek I could see if anyone in Blacktail Deer Plateau - her father and uncles and little cousins live there - has heard anything lately.” In truth, he was kind of hoping she’d let him go to the Creek to find out from the wolves she lived with - or to talk to Bones herself, of course - but if she would not he wanted her to know that he respected her wishes and was willing to compromise if he could.

Ira realized as he prattled on that despite his good intentions of wanting Jinx to know what he was up too, no matter how irrelevant it was (and in honesty it was probably very irrelevant) that he was being unnecessarily long-winded. His chatter was just that: drivel. Jinx’s response was short and blunt and simple. Almost too simple. I don’t care. For a second, Ira’s eyes narrowed in suspicion and then he understood that she had been serious. She didn’t care, probably about the whole entire thing and not just that he wanted to go to Swiftcurrent Creek just to make sure Bones was ok. It was a stupid quest, probably, and Bones would likely just get annoyed at him for being clingy or something. It wasn’t that he was clingy — Ira tended not to grow attached to others for the simple fact that he truly believed in his ‘curse’ though Jinx was his tentative exception but she had practically raised him. She was his mother in all the ways it mattered and though he had not believed it at first for the simple sake of not wanting to get his hopes up, and because he did not want to lose Jinx, he came to the conclusion that the curse had seemed to have spared her. Perhaps it had decided that Ira needed a break from all the death and destruction he had caused in his short span of life, or maybe it was just waiting to stab him in the heart and wrench viciously. Either way, Ira had no intentions of lingering too much upon it.

“Ok,” He felt kind of humiliated that he had been worried that she wouldn’t allow him to go, but brushed it off with a soft shrug of his broadening shoulders. “I understand,” Ira breathed, fixing his mother-figure in his icy, silvered gaze. Though he still felt slightly silly for worrying unnecessarily it was nice to have her permission — or as much permission as ‘I don’t care’ stood for, at any rate. He had nothing to hide from Jinx, and had no intentions of starting anything with Swiftcurrent Creek. He only wanted to see his girlfriend. It wasn’t like he’d be asking them to shelter a fugitive or something equally as horrible; and he had previously been a member of their pack. Whatever ill intentions his fellow pack mates had harbored against them were not shared with Ira; besides the Princeling was not so stupid. “I’m just going to see Bones. It’s harmless, but regardless I will be on my best behavior.” Because he was known for pissing others off easily. He was quite talented at that, in all actuality.

Her words regarding the Plateau’s leader was met with some confusion from Ira who had not been aware there had been any animosity between them. “That can be arranged,” The Princeling grinned at Jinx like the Cheshire cat. “But I don’t think the Plateau is going to be of any help. She only went there to visit her father. Unless she moved there they’re probably as clueless as me.” Unless of course, this was Bones’ way of breaking up with him without actually telling him. Ira didn’t know and that was what drove him crazy the most.

“Well that’s rude of her,” Ira breathed in regard to Fox being displeased with Jinx’s departure; formally as if he had any room to talk about others being rude when he, himself, was rather good at being ‘rude’. It was one of his many and habitually awful talents. “Is that so?” Ira mused thoughtfully when Jinx chuckled about Hawkeye being too fat to poison. “I’m sure I could find the right dosage,” He teased but then again poisons were a delicate thing and the more he used if he was not careful, the bigger the risk he took of killing himself in the process; seeing as how the insolent Princeling rather liked living he did not fancy poisoning himself much, if at all. Ira’s lips parted to argue but then he stopped himself his teeth closing with a sharp, small snap, his ears laying back slowly against his skull as he took in the words Jinx spoke with a measured silence. It was instinct to contradict her, ignorant in his knowledge of fleeting childhood crushes as he was, and found that to contradict Jinx would be to lie to himself. Had he not considered the same thing, himself? That Bones simply stopped caring and that she just didn’t know how to tell him or something. It was possible and Ira, realizing his expression was probably rather ungodly vulnerable at that point, steeled his shoulders and adopted a haughty, stoic mask delving into the arrogance and sharp wit he used as his armor. “If that is so then it is better I go and force her to tell me herself, so I can put her behind me.” It wouldn’t be the end of the world if it proved to be true. It might sting like hell but he had endured worse and would move on. That was why it was better to never let anyone in, though, admittedly, he had broken his number one rule and had let Jinx in fully but he didn't think she planned to leave him anytime soon. Or rather, hoped.

They had made an odd pair anyway, the Prince and the Pirate. Seemingly, two beings that should have never meshed. Of course, it wasn’t entirely unexpected that Ira had grown fond of her because she was of the opposite sex and the only other wolf his age that he had came across, as of yet. “Well I’m going to try not to assume, either way. It is better to know for sure than to create a demon that doesn’t exist because of assumption.” Ira kept reminding himself that he only knew his side and that in this, he needed to be fair. To give the chance of explanation without immediately jumping down her throat because he had forged numerous assumptions but in truth had no idea why she hadn’t been around. The Princeling sighed heavily then, deciding that being an adult kind of sucked in the matters of ‘relationships’. “It just seems weird because we talked the last time about mateship and puppies, like we were planning our future or something,” It was useless to speculate and all it was doing was having Ira going in circles and stressing himself out by not going to find out for himself.