Phantom Hollow These walls begin to cave in

Cogitemus gave a quick stretch to loosen his young muscles. Today would be an alright day to possibly mark the borders and have a chat one on one with a pack mate. He had to get to know these wolves closely. He quickly made his way from the alpha den to the borders. One tree didn't look well marked to him, so he takes his claws down it a few times before moving on. He had quite a few responsibilities as a pack leader, but it made it worth the effort in his eyes. Everyone seemed to get along, and everyone seemed loyal to his ruling. The thing he was most excited about was pups! Maybe Malice hadn't thought much of it, but the cold man wanted small fluffy potatoes squealing around him. He kept moving along the border, waited for company.

She couldn't say she was the toughest wolf to patrol Moonlit Hills border, but it didn't stop Mitanni from trying. Her ears perked atop her head as she swiftly trotted along, eyes alert and searching out beyond the border for anything amiss. So far everything had been quiet, and for that she was grateful.

As she moved, however, she caught wind of a familiar scent, that of her alpha, Cogitemus. She'd yet to really spend much time with him, but he seemed like an alright guy from what she'd gotten to see of him during their meetings. And Malice liked him, which meant he couldn't be that bad.

Curious, always curious, Mitanni hurried to follow the trail of her leader until she approached behind him, sinking into a relaxed, submissive posture and offering a quiet chuff to let him know she was there.

A chuff sounded in his ears as he turned around to see the dark wolf he hadn't met alone. He respected her submission, with a nod, allowing her to relax. "Hello Mitanni, how are you?" he spoke, his accent had actually grown thicker than when he first started out. He fully turned his body to face her. As long as she didn't become dominant, she could relax around him. There wasn't a bone in his body that would think about hurting a wolf that didn't deserve it.

He acknowledged her submission, and with that she relaxed, even smiling a little if hesitantly. Mitanni still wasn't quite sure what to make of him, but she hoped speaking with him now would give her a better idea. 

"I'm okay," she answered, slowing and stopping before him. Mitanni shifted her weight, looking away and back again at Cogitemus. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" If he was busy patrolling then she would be okay leaving him to it.

The man shook his black and white head. "No, nothing at all. I would actually enjoy some company. Would you like to help me out by walking to mark and check on the borders?" he asked. It might give them a chance to talk, so Cogitemus could get to know her better.

Oh good. Mitanni was relieved that she wasn't interrupting, though his offer of her tagging along surprised her. She'd thought maybe they could have a short conversation and then they'd both be on their way. A border patrol together was new, but who was she to deny her pack leader?

"Sure," the lithe little wolf agreed, nodding her head to emphasize her involvement. She stepped a little closer, gave him the lead to begin their patrol again, and prepared to fall into step beside him. "I don't really patrol much," Mitanni admitted, unsure if she even needed to explain why. With her small frame, she doubted she'd pose any threat to loiterers.

Cogitemus gave a small smile before starting on his way. He looked back at her with a weird look. "Really? Is that a sly way of saying this is your first time?" he said before chuckling a bit. He stopped, and hoisted his weight on his back legs. He pressed his claws against the tree and raked them down a few times. The dark man gave the tree a quick glance over before moving right along.

Mitanni stopped, blinked, and stared Cogitemus a little indignantly. "No," she answered swiftly, just a hint of defensiveness to her tone. It wasn't that she was very offended his remark, but she didn't like the idea that she might not appear to be pulling her weight with the pack. She wanted to be seen as valuable and useful, especially to her leaders.

He stepped away to dig his claws into one of the trees nearby, and she went on to explain, "I just...I can't do the same things that you, or Malice,"-- Or Sage or Issun for that matter, she thought--"can do. I'm small, I can't force anyone out." It was a simple fact, spoken neither bitterly or sadly. She'd long ago accepted her diminutive stature and wasn't bothered in the least by it. It just made her lot in life a little different from her taller, stronger counterparts. "Not much intimidation here for patrols."

Cogitemus brushed his coat against hers gently. "Don't worry about it at all Mitanni. You help our pack in different ways, and we appreciate it very much." he said gently, before ducking his head to take a whiff of the border line. Smells like Issun was here earlier. "Have you given any thought to any other trade? I would love to mentor you, and help you out."  he said, making eye contact for a moment, then dropping it to focus back on the borders. As an Alpha he could make eye contact with out it seeming challenging with pack members.

It was nice to be recognized for good work, and Mitanni was surprisingly calmed by the brush Cog made against her fur. She knew she stood out a bit from her peers, especially in terms of lacking a fighter's spirit, but this made her feel welcome, like she could still be a contributing part of the pack without fighting.

She fell silent as she followed along after Cogetimus, looking around while he paid more attention to the border itself. As the conversation moved on to trades, she thought for a second before she voiced an answer. "Well, I'm not a fighter," she reiterated, though they had just made this clear, "but I do like wandering around and asking questions." It was something of her specialty, if she did say so herself. "I was thinking of gathering information. Not spying, exactly, but trying to get others to tell me things."

It sounded pretty complicated now that she'd given it a voice, and challenging to boot. How did she even go about testing this skill let alone perfecting it? And could she really convince others to tell her things? "Would that be useful?" Knowing the pack needed that was surely bound to strengthen her resolve to pursue the trade, despite the difficulties. In the meantime, she considered what else she might like to try.

The man perked his head up to look at her for a moment. "Maybe a storyteller? They gather information and pass it on in stories, obviously. I think a ranger would suit you well though. Basicly you go out and scout the land, and gather information on the landscape and the shifts of the world around us." He said. "Anything is useful, as long as we don't have wolves just lying around and doing nothing." he laughed.