Silvertip Mountain Children running from their school

Up until now, Jinx had been making her plans in private from the depths of Swiftcurrent's plain. She had attracted to her a small handful of wolves seeking solid leadership by expressing a confidence in her abilities that was only matched by her passion. The Kesuk, who would turn three tomorrow, had busied herself so much that she had little time for introspection or doubt. Even the guilt that so acutely plagued her since first expressing a desire to seek a home elsewhere had begun to ebb away, leaving her refreshed and with new-found purpose. In restlessness, Jinx chose to set out on her first scouting mission to her upcoming home, uncaring what her current pack thought of her outing.

On the second day of her travels, she reached the Wilderness. The sun burned weakly behind a hazy layer of grey, but the wind was calm and the temperature mild. Spring was well under way, and already she had begun to shed her winter layer of fur in great chunks. This lent the female a strangely patchy appearance where tufts of hair had pulled out of her flanks and nape, but every wolf in the region was facing the same problem. Self-consciousness was out of the question. It was, however, hotter than she would have liked with the extra fur, so her pace was moderate without causing discomfort. As she stomped past the plateau across the way, sparing them only one glance in passing, the half-snow, half-mud ground sloshed underfoot.

Her eyes were locked firmly on Silvertip Mountain, which she approached and began to ascend without pause. She carried herself confidently, though her feet were unaccustomed to the way the ground climbed beneath them. Half an hour found her nearing a point where she could look out and see the forest topping Blacktail Deer Plateau across the valley from above. Stopping here to survey her chosen territory, the female lifted her head proudly to scent the breeze and relish the moment.

I couldn't resist!

Jinx's avoidance was irking the small yearling leader. They had to work as a team, and that could not be done if Jinx would not even allow Fox in her presence. Fox understood that the Beta needed her space after the incident, but this was getting ridiculous. Jinx had not been spotted by the fireball in over a week, and Fox would stand for it no longer. If Jinx was not up to the task of being her leader, that was fine, but she could not have her act as an absent one.

With her wounds more or less healed, Fox began her morning by making a quick trip to the creek for a drink, and then immediately seeking Jinx's trail. It led out of their territory, serpentining through the mountains. Perhaps this journey was not what the yearling needed, considering she was not at full strength, but she carried on.

Up, up, up the mountain Fox went, her natural speed allowing her to eventually catch up to her co-leader. When finally she reached the Kesuk, she woofed. Jinx could not run away from her forever, and Fox was determined to find out what was going on.

She was on higher ground. She should have been more aware that she was being followed, for once she had prided herself on being stealthy, but in her haste she had forgotten herself. Jinx had lost her touch, a definite side-effect of leading a pretty carefree life in Swiftcurrent Creek. When Fox located her and demanded her attention with a short call, bidding the Beta to turn and face her Alpha, her prevailing thought was, shit shit shit.

But if Jinx had lost her edge as a sneak thief and a spy, she hadn't lost her penchant for lying out her ass. "Fox," she acknowledged, keeping her voice level even though some surprise managed to sneak out past her tightened lips. "Who is watching the Creek?" No doubt it was Njal. No doubt his ego had flared up at that. Jinx had no qualms with the broad northerner, and in fact respected him, but still his challenge in the immediate wake of her miscarriage stung her childish pride.

Pressing on whether she got an answer or not, Jinx began the careful weaving of her lie. "Tuwawi informed me that a good friend of mine who led a pack in the forest just south of here departed." Chakra had been an acquaintance at best, but Jinx felt confident Fox wouldn't know that. It would be her own failure if it turned out Fox was aware of everything already. "I came to check whether she had come back. She hasn't."

It felt horrid to lie to someone she respected and trusted as much as Fox, but Jinx knew the consequences of her plans... And, being a selfish and greedy wolf at heart, she was unwilling to have any part of those consequences. She would make a seamless transition from Swiftcurrent's Beta to Silvertip's Alpha, blindsiding them all in the process, or so she thought. "Thought I'd check this place out while I was here. There was once a pack here, as well." Tonravik's, she might have said to begin an off-topic discussion, but she hadn't known the name of the dark woman who once tried to tame this mountain, and hadn't cottoned on to her identity when she challenged Jinx outright in the Creek.

Fox suspected no lies, if only because she was not the brightest of the bunch and tended to miss subtleties that others might catch. “You know we have plenty who can watch the creek,” she replied to Jinx's question. The majority of the pack was comprised of large warrior and warden types who lived and breathed to protect whatever object their heart desired. Thankfully, many of them lived and breathed to protect the creek's borders.

At Jinx's reason for being here, Fox cocked her head to one side. “That one was a fool,” she replied. “Instead of attacking me as soon as I touched her borders, she procrastinated with questions. It was not until I taunted her that she was provoked enough to chase me off.” Fox remembered their brief encounter easily. She had nearly overpowered the older, larger wolf. “It’s no wonder that her followers dispersed. A weak leader is rarely followed long.” Oh, how amusing it would have been if Fox realized exactly what Jinx was planning to do.

Jinx went on to explain that there had been a pack here, on this mountain, previously. “What became of it?” inquired Fox. “And what was your relation to it?” Jinx's avoidance was forgotten for the moment, the sly Beta somehow managing to evade the topic completely.

Jinx had to agree with Fox on the first point, but gave no verbal or physical indication of it. She was more interested to know that her Alpha had not only met Chakra Feralheart, but had taunted her. Despite her recent misgivings and worries, a fond smile found its way across her lips at the notion of Fox running wild through Neverwinter. Jinx would not have dared, knowing that large-bodied woman could chase her down, but she respected Fox for not dying on her own excursion in the former pack's woodland.

"She seemed capable enough to me," Jinx said, "but I did not know her personally. She was a Feralheart, from a strong family, or so her words would imply. It seems her actions suggested otherwise." She had lapped up Chakra's perceived power like honey, but Jinx had also been desperate back then. Desperate for a reprieve from the judgement of her former fellows, and desperate to find anything familiar to identify with. Chakra had seemed like Kaskae in some ways, and brought comfort to the mambo when she needed it.

As for the former Tartok... "Dunno," she admitted, "But I suspect their leader probably split." She hadn't known who Tonravik was, truly. Had she known of the connection between her dark-haired aunt and the former leading bitch of the mountain pack, she would have had a lot more to say about it. "There was another pack in the forest below before Chakra's, led by some rogue weirdos who barely showed their faces. I lived with them for a short while, so when these mountain wolves moved in up our ass crack, I paid them a little visit. Played tag with their head bitch. I won." She conveniently left out the part about how Tonravik had actually tripped her up and caught hold of her. That just made her look bad.

Squeezing some random Fox backstory in here for funsies.

Fox had never been overly impressed by big-name families, even though she herself had come from one. Of course, her family lacked any kind of formal way of recognizing one another. They did not take a common surname, for one, and they lacked any defining physical features. Perhaps the only thing that linked them was their tendency to name their children after animals. But anybody with half a brain could do that, so it was not always a clear indicator that two wolves named after an animal were related in any way at all.

When Jinx mentioned that she had been part of the pack that had once resided on the mountain, Fox was reminded of why she had sought out her second-in-command in the first place. The Kesuk's avoidance had made Fox question her motives to some extent, and hearing that Jinx had been a part of yet another pack in the area gave Fox an uneasy feeling. “Just how many packs have you hopped around in, Jinx?” she asked. Fox knew of Horizon Ridge and Swiftcurrent. She knew that Horizon Ridge still existed. Jinx had also mentioned leading a pack at an age even younger than Fox, which made the count come to four. That seemed like an oddly high number, considering Jinx could not have been more than double Fox's age.

Suddenly, the Alpha became aware that her decision to lift Jinx up into leadership may have not been the best choice after all. Did the Beta plan on leaving again? Was that the reason she was becoming so... scarce?

Although Fox said nothing in between all of Jinx's talking, the one thing she did say was enough to unnerve the Beta. Paranoia found its way into her chest and dug in, and the guilt she had been feeling previously resurfaced. She was a master of faces, however, or at least had briefly become one in Horizon Ridge, and was able to keep almost all of it from showing outwardly. Part of her knew there should be no guilt and no nerves about what she planned, if only because dispersing was a very common and regular part of a wolf's life. To expect undying loyalty forever with no chance to be more was simply absurd.

But if Jinx had to wager, she would imagine Fox would not see it that way. Perhaps once, before the title of Alpha had fallen upon her, the small wolf might have agreed. She might have agreed that unsatisfactory leadership, or the chance at becoming something greater, or the constant stress and frustration with pathetic neighbours, were all good reasons to leave a pack. Now, Jinx likened her to Pied and Hawkeye, and threw her in with the lot of self-righteous creatures who would take it as a personal offence to know the truth, even though Fox had given her no reason to regard her that way.

But paranoid Jinx had been fed quite enough of that bitter bullshit when Hawkeye and Pied, both wolves she had respected and liked when Bon Dye existed, had both saw fit to lecture her about her life choices. She was not about to entertain even the possibility of living through it again with another wolf she respected and liked.

"A few," she answered vaguely, not planning to get much further than that into exactly how many. Jinx could not count past the number of packs she'd been a part of. "I have been in the company of one too many weak leaders." All complaining aside, Jinx knew Fox was not a weak leader. It was a major part of why she chose to leave rather than to challenge Fox, as she had Akhlut. Northstar Vale's proximity was insignificant in comparison, if only because if Jinx were Alpha of the Creek, she would have preemptively ended any hope Northstar Vale had of some sort of alliance or, as Jinx saw it, superiority. She respected Fox too much to challenge her, but not enough to swear everlasting fealty to her rule. It was as simple as that, in her mind.

Fox furrowed her brow and thought a few moments on Jinx's answer. It was a satisfactory one, but also one that opened up a whole slew of questions. There was one that came to the forefront of the young leader's mind, though, and one she could not help but ask aloud. “You think I am weak?” she asked, lacking an accusatory tone. Truthfully, Fox did not know the answer. She was young, green, and had come to Jinx with her concerns and doubts shortly after taking the reigns of the creek. Part of her internal reasoning for bringing Jinx into the mix was her hope for some sort of guidance. She respected the Kesuk a great deal, and her opinion did matter, whether the Beta knew it or not.

As far as Fox knew, she had never encouraged any kind of alliance with the wolves of the vale. She had simply told them that they could stick to their own lands if they did not wish to see the creek wolves or deal with them. Granted, this was only how she remembered the encounter. Details were not her strong suit. She felt that Xi'nuata had twisted her words in ways that bent them to the vale's liking, and for that, Fox was displeased.

This might screw some stuff up O WELLZ

That was the clincher. She was found out. Jinx claimed to be crafty, or at least behaved like she was, but she was as stupid as her mother. She was easily manipulated, more than she let on and definitely more than she realized. So when Fox's singular question was posed, it served as a confirmation that the Alpha knew what was going on. It might have been nothing but a suspicion on Fox's part, but Jinx mistook it for absolute, 100% knowledge.

Her shoulders slumped slightly at the realization she had been bested at her own game. "No," she admitted, twitching back her ears. "I resolved the next weak leader I faced, I would overthrow. I told you as much when you stepped up. I meant to do it with Horizon Ridge's Alpha when he proved useless in his role, but hesitated when I realized the pack was too biased to accept my lead... And the shaman had returned." She never mentioned that she and Lecter had tied the knot. It never entered her mind. "I could not return to my homeland without bringing ruin... So say Sos and Atka. But my blood sings for what I had there. I thought Lethe could reconstruct it, but I was wrong. It is your pack now, truly, and it is because you are strong that I choose to do this rather than to challenge that fact. You, after all, have earned it. My qualms are not with you."

What was this, then? This was her withdrawal from Swiftcurrent Creek, more or less. Part of her expected backlash for confirming what she believed Fox already knew. Another part of her expected the red-haired woman to understand her reason without her having to blatantly state it, but the tiny bit of logic she possessed doubted that very much.

Idk what this is going to do with timelines, but whatevs.

Fox thought on Jinx's words, and she found herself confused by what she heard. Jinx did not think her weak, and for that, Fox felt flattered and accomplished in a way she had never thought possible. The yearling was not willing to give up control of the creek, and it had grown and changed in ways that were now even beyond her own control. Swiftcurrent had become its own entity, and although Fox held the reigns, she knew her comrades were the horse at the bit. She gave them nudges when needed, but for the most part, they were on their own to do what they pleased.

Slowly, Fox began to realize why Jinx had been so scarce. She did not mean to leave for another pack. She meant to make one for herself. Perhaps Fox should have been angry. Maybe she should have declared war on Jinx's future home. But whatever maturity had been injected into her over the past few months had somehow told her this would not do them any good. Swiftcurrent was strong, overflowing at the seams, and Fox knew that they would not suffer from Jinx's departure. They would remain a strong pack. "You, Lecter, Ira, and is that Sitri fellow going with you?" she asked just as casually as one might ask about the weather.

"I do not want you to linger in Swiftcurrent," said Fox. Because although she was okay with Jinx and her trio leaving, she did not want any more of the creek's members to vanish into Jinx's grasp. "Leave soon, or I will see to it that you are removed forcibly." It was a warning, but Fox held no grudge for the Kesuk. Fox still wondered if her choice to make Jinx her fellow leader had been a bad one, but that was something that would be revealed later on down the line.

"And Tuwawi, Njal, Haunter, Bones." A crooked grin cut its way across her lips as she peered down at the smaller female, keen to sow the seeds of paranoia in the wake of her abrupt dismissal from the pack. "Or, none of them. I believe they will make their own choice, every one. I expect none of them to join me." A prickle in her mane revealed her amusement with this, as if it was truly funny. She had expected nothing less from Fox, and could respect her desire to be rid of her Beta immediately, but if she thought Jinx was going to reveal the entirety of her plan and all those intimately involved, then she was mistaken.

Fox was not wrong in her guess, but Jinx displayed in that moment a spark of loyalty by not outright confirming their participation. Perhaps having to wonder who was with her and who was not would unhinge the Swiftcurrent Creek leader and fracture their solidarity for a moment. It was not Jinx's wish to see the pack fall, but if she did not run with them, then she ran against them. It was the way of the wild.

"I must ask you to leave, then," she said calmly, devoid of any hostility or hatred just as Fox was. After all, Jinx would have done the very same, in her position. "This is my home now. You understand."

Fox out! I like that they ended things amiably, even though it was totes unexpected. :B

Jinx often told convincing lies, but this was not one of them. If Jinx thought nobody would follow her, she would not be leaving the creek at all. Unless, of course, she was on some kind of death mission. Fox was also unconvinced that Njal, Tuwawi, and Haunter would leave her. Haunter had basically sworn himself to her, Njal disliked Jinx on some level, and Tuwawi was tied to Njal. Bones was a tossup, but Fox would be less hurt if she left compared to the other three named. The girl was younger and newer, not yet tied down in the ways that the others were.

Fox dipped her head in acceptance of Jinx's order, gave her a small smile, and then turned toward the creek. This would be yet another rift in the neverending thing that was leading a pack, but the yearling did not worry. Jinx leaving (and taking her friends and family with her) did not seem odd or unexpected. The Kesuk was a big fish in a little pond, and she needed to stretch her fins. It would mean that there would be less wolves to the amount of land, and while that could be a problem if they grew too thin in numbers, Fox did not think that would happen. She was decidedly optimistic as she trotted back home.