Crack the code

All welcome!

Ray flexed his toes, straightening from a catlike stretch. The dark hair along his spine prickled and his tail gave a lash as he drew himself up, copper eyes surveying his surroundings. He was pleased with the territory that his sister and friend had claimed; the plateau provided a view of the sprawling land to the south, while a row of snowcapped mountains stood at his back.

Assuming a slow, laid-back gait, he began to meander through the copse of trees that occupied the otherwise flat landscape. Though he was still learning his way around, his pale paws carried him deftly through the foliage. Charcoal ears pivoted on his crown, taking in the sounds of the miniature forest -- the rustle of the grass beneath his feet, the soft chirruping of some bird high above in the branches. It was relatively quiet, and the male breathed deeply, inhaling the warm, thick air.

You know I'm on this like white on rice...!

Koontz returned to the plateau and took a catnap at the foot of a tree before rising and heading back toward the borders to begin a midday patrol. En route, she ran into her brother quite by accident. Happy to see him for the first time in the past day or so, she gladly veered off her original course and trotted forward to meet him. Her tail waved in an upward arch, a quiet symbol of her new status, as she touched noses with Ray.

"Hey, I was beginning to wonder if I'd lost you somehow," she quipped, tail still slowly beating the air. Ears pricked, she looked around at the summery forest around them. "What're you up to—just checking out the place? I'm now extremely well-acquainted with the borders but I haven't had much time to explore the interior," she admitted, realizing how strange that was considering her forays outside the territory. Shouldn't she get to know her home first, before anything else?

"Come on, let's explore together," she suggested, bumping her shoulder companionably against Ray's. "We can look for a den, if you'd like to share one," she added, thinking of Ariston's mention of it the previous day.

I hoped you would be!

Ray was joined shortly by his sister, and he lifted his head and smiled as she approached. As she drew nearer, however, he remembered that she wasn't just Koontz anymore -- she was one of his leaders, Ariston's beta. He had accepted her new role readily and supported her whole-heartedly. While he was more of a follower, he could see how natural it was for Koontz to step into a leadership position, and he was proud of her.

He adjusted his posture slightly, knowing that his littermate would never force him to show deference, and gave a short, quick "chuff" of greeting through his nostrils as the tip of her nose touched his. "Hey, sis. Yeah, I've just been looking around. I like this place so far," he said, bobbing his head gently as he spoke to indicate his approval. Her invitation to explore was accepted without a second thought, and he fell into step alongside her, his gaze scanning the underbrush for any sort of landmark that could possibly provide an adequate den space for the two of them. "How're the borders?" he asked, knowing that Koontz and Ariston had spent plenty of time marking the edge of their territory with their scents. He, too, had left evidence of his presence along the outskirts, though not as heavily.

I'll be randomly inventing details of their lives in Seahawk Valley over the course of this thread, I'm sure. You're welcome to do the same!

When Ray said he liked the plateau, a smile blossomed on her face, more broad and genuine than the smiles with which she favored others. "I'm happy to hear you say that," she admitted, tail slicing back and forth through the air, keeping a steady, ceaseless rhythm now that she was in her brother's presence.

"Appropriately soaked in urine," she reported as they fell into step, punching through the tree line and heading into the heart of the woodland. "I smelled a few of your contributions. Thanks for helping us set up shop, Ray," she said, thrusting her snout against his jawline and giving it a lick. "Speaking of which, I've told Ariston I'd ask you something. All of our subordinates will start out as Sigmas until they prove themselves. But we both know you and, well, you're a founding member too. I think you should have a higher rank."

She let that thought linger between them a moment as she leaped up and over a large trunk lying in their path. In that moment when she stood astride it, she felt queenly. It passed, however, and she soon came back down to earth, where she felt most comfortable in her own skin. She waited for Ray to make the same jump, then headed onward with her darker brother flanking her.

She picked up where she'd left off by saying, "I'd like to let you choose your own rank, whichever one you think you deserve." Koontz glanced at him, icy eyes probing his face curiously, wondering what he would make of this open-ended offer to select his own rank. Would he feel put on the spot, or flattered, or both?