Lost Creek Hollow Fargo, North Dakota

Following the rise of a warm sun in the morning, a temperate afternoon thawed the murky moorlands where once frost had held the water in small, frozen pools. Now, with the mid-day sun beaming down with well-mannered kindness, the moors just to the South of the Hollow thawed out, seeping a once muted stench of mud and decay into what otherwise would have been the crisp, fresh air of the wilderness. After having been trudging through the bog for nearly an hour straight, the young man found his sense of smell completely disoriented and he’d become completely disenchanted with the area. All he’d wanted was a drink of water- and common sense dictated that there would be a stream or river or something that led to the moorlands...He was right, but the water there had been contaminated by the same, sulfuric taste that filled the air with a rotten egg stench. Not at all pleased with how his day was going, he followed the flow of the murky water until it led to a wooded area and without bothering to remove himself from the stream of water, once it converged with another stream, he continued on a North-East path without realizing what he was doing.

With the moorlands scent still in his muzzle and his concentration diverted by the prospect of clean, clear water, the young male clamboured awkwardly against the stream, occasionally slipping on the rocks below the surface, with his muzzle held low. He was picky about the water her drank. Don’t drink murky water; it’ll give you the quakes. He’d been warned before, and the thought of developing that terribly affliction was enough to turn him into a bit of a snob when it came to finding a source of water good enough to drink. Once he’d made his way up the stream far enough so that the stream’s waters had more or less washed the residual muck off his legs and underbelly, he stopped to drink. Still, all he could taste was the rotten taste of the moorlands and he grimaced. It was just a trick of the mind, he told himself. The water was fine.

What wasn’t fine was the fact that he’d crossed the borders of a pack some time ago.

It was unfortunate for him that the one that was going to stumble across him was probably the most ornery wolf in the pack.  But hey, her player waited a few days to give everyone else a chance and this was what he ended up stuck with.

Treason was just going about her business, still narrowing down her list of options, and was currently in the process of seeing just how far this one location was from the borders.  She was just plodding along without thinking too hard, as she was coming from deep enough in the territory that really, there shouldn't be any dangers, and she wasn't planning on hunting either.  So it should just be boring, right?  Yeah, definitely.

Except it wasn't.

She spotted the guy in the water and over the next couple of seconds her brain processed a few things as her stride paused for just a moment, nostrils flaring to try to figure out who it was she'd stumbled across.  Huh, a wolf, kind of looked like Rueger, but not quite.  Maybe it was someone else new--- but wouldn't she have known?  Was she forgetting anyone?  No, couldn't be, had she walked past the borders without realizing it?  Nah, no way.  So who the hell was this idiot?  Once she got to that point, she started moving forward again, with more purpose and direction than she'd previously had.

With each stride Treason shifted from her previously neutral stance towards the disposition of a monster.  Her ears tipped forward, hackles rose, tail arced up behind her, and her face split into a brutal snarl as she charged towards him.  Whether he chose to surrender, flee, or do something else entirely, he didn't have that long to make a decision before the devil would reach that part of the creek and make one for him.

Normally, other wolves ignored him, just as he ignored them. He'd passed a number of them along his way and had had to speak to very few of them- it seemed as though friendly wolves liked talking to sullen-looking strangers, but it wasn't exactly a mutually beneficial relationship, as Joss did not particularly like to speak to anyone, let alone those who walked around as though the sun came out of their arseholes. He glanced up when he caught sight of a stately pale wolf in the distance but didn't bother tracking his movements, as he assumed that this wolf- like himself- was simply looking for a place to drink. Having passed the borders while wading up through the middle of the creek, trying to rid the bog reek from his nostrils, he'd had no clue that this wolf wasn't just another loner like him...Albeit a much better looking, well-fed loner...This was a pack wolf. 

He took more notice of him the moment he began to walk toward him with a certain authority in his step which made him feel more and more vulnerable with every step that he took. This was different...Normally those over-the-top friendly wolves made a big show of waving their tails and lowering their heads the more they approached, trying not to spook him off- but this male wasn't doing that at all. In fact, his speed began to pick up, and it was only when he transitioned from a trot to a canter that Joss actually took a moment to look up and gauge the wolf rather than continue giving it a cautious, sour side-eye- and he realized that it was actually a female. Not that that made any difference- she was still accelerating toward him with a fixed gaze that spurred him awkwardly, sheepishly, into frenzied motion. 

His tail flipped down between his legs which made it a bit harder to run- and he stubbornly refused to leave the creek as for some reason, he thought he might have a better chance of outrunning her through the cold waters. But with her gunning down toward him on dry land and him awkwardly flopping his way through the waters, slipping on just about every damn stone he stepped on, he made a pathetic sight, and smacked his jaw so hard off a rock that it made him cry out loudly, pitifully. Not only had he bit his lip, but his jaw too bled, just below his right canine tooth. Fortune gave him a bit of a break in that the rocks became smaller and easier to run on, but when a deep hole cam out of nowhere, Joss put on an extra burst of speed, though he floundered still and the female came thundering toward him. Inadvertantly, he let out a high pitched, baying sound as he flung himself toward the deep hole, where the water suddenly became very dark, hoping that he could save himself some impact if all he hit was open water.

It seemed he had some sense and started to flee.  Eventually.  What an oblivious creature, though!  It wasn't like he was just inside the borders either -- she would have plenty of room to toy with him until she decided what to actually do about it.  Nobody was here this time to tell her to stop, so the decision was all hers.  But what fate should he be given?

For whatever bizarre reason he stayed in the water, so Treason stuck to the shore where she could move faster and catch up, aiming to eventually pass him.  Every time he floundered and failed a step, Treason would gain extra distance.  It was cold enough that going through the water was somewhat unpleasant, but not deadly.  Usually.  That was about when she had an idea.  Of course, she knew the territory fairly well, so she knew she had the ability to possibly cut him off downstream, especially if he half-drowned himself in a deep spot.

Putting on a burst of speed, she jumped into the water past the deep point, snarling as she did so.  What Treason needed was another person to show up and help.  This guy was scrawny enough that he might be able to outrun her if he got out onto solid ground, and she wasn't keen on letting him go without taking her potentially literal pound of flesh.  Could she get him to stay put, to stay in one place while the moving water sapped his energy and slowly froze him?  It would make him so much easier to deal with.

As soon as Joss hit the small pool of water he sank beneath the surface, treading wildly to bring himself up. He was lightly surprised that a heavy weight didn’t land on top of him, as he fought his way to the surface. He coughed violently as he breached and scrabbled at rocks to pull himself out, hacking out mouthfuls of water as he dragged his soaked body half out of the tiny deephole. He shook violently as he coughed, and wriggled his body to try and shake off as much of the freezing water as possible off his shoulders before he looked up, only to realize how screwed he was.

He sank backwards, front feet still clinging to the rocks as he looked up to face the female who’d been chasing him. She was massive- with plush fur covering thick muscles and a stern look to her features. He flattened his ears and whined softly. He wanted out of the water- but he didn’t want to deal with her. The cold seeped through his fur, to his skin, and began to make him shiver violently.


”S’your p-p-problemb?” He whined softly. Why had she felt the need to chase him i to the water- and then stand there to keep him there?

He looked that much more pathetic once drenched.  She'd keep him there for now if she could.  Freeze him?  Tear a chunk out of his hide?  What was going to be the best way to end this?  Treason would move again to be in the way.  It seemed he'd done a find job of putting himself at a disadvantage even without much assistance on her part.  And if he stayed put, she could also keep mostly-dry.  The fur on her legs would dry out significantly faster than the longer fur on the core of her body, which would be nice. 

She leaned forward, uttering a dangerous, almost singsong whisper, You're on pack territory.  It was accompanied by a savage grin and growl.  Unless she was severely misreading the situation, he was at her mercy.  Her plaything until she got bored.  It was one of those scenarios though that now that she had him, she wasn't entirely sure what to do with him yet.  It better be entertaining, either way, and she wasn't about to call Terance just in case he tried to say no.  But perhaps the world had hardened her fellow leader?  Nah.  Not gonna take the chance.

Joss's eyes widened when she revealed to him- with a horribly creepy smile and searing growl- that he was trespassing. He then squinted, and shook his head, perhaps a bit more violently than normal due to the fact that he was still largely immersed in water and soaked through to the skin with the freezing cold. How could he have passed into a pack's territory? He hadn't smelled any borders...But then again, he'd just been in the mucky moors, and had been walking directly up the middle of the creek which would have been impossible for them to mark. With his nose so full of swamp smell, he'd passed right by the scent of other wolves without even noticing it. 

"F-f-fuckin'," He breathed, his voice a cold puff of mist on the air. "Came f-f-f-rom the swamp, walked up th-th-th'creek. Ain't no m-m-m-markings in the water," He retorted sourly. Could the pack really claim the creek? "Jus-s-s lemmmm' go," He responded crudely, and began to pull himself out of the water even if it meant bringing himself closer to her.

IDK why I have been having such a hard time with this post, raaaaaaaagh. *kicks thread along*

Really, he was surprised?  No reason for ignorance.  She didn't know where he'd really come from other than not here so he didn't belong here without going through proper channels.  Even if he thought it wasn't fair or something, it certainly was fair to her.  So that meant one thing -- Treason got to have some fun.

She let him get a little bit up before she lunged forward with another snarl, intending to either slam him back down or scare him back into the water, depending on his reactions.  Her open jaws weren't going to do (too) much damage (yet).  She'd rather drag it out a bit more, So what shall I do with you?   Take a hole out of your side and let you flee.  Keep you as a plaything.  Or I guess I could just let you freeze.  Have a preferred way of paying for your stupidity or is it my choice?  Honestly every option sounded pretty tempting to her.

Ignorance? Joss snorted, sending a small spray of water droplets flying off his muzzle as he did so. He thought he was being totally rational, and deserved some sympathy, or a free pass or something. He hadn’t meant to trespass, as the whole thing was a mistake- and now this barbaric female was accusing him of being stupid. It wasn’t an accusation he’d never heard before, so it glanced off him like water off a duck’s back. 

When she snapped at him, he was surprised and taken offguard- he hadn’t expected her to be so brutish and had felt somewhat entitled to forgiveness. He let out a pitiful yelp and scrabbled with his feet as he was flung backwards and into the small deep hole again. He spluttered as he resurfaced and his teeth chattered together from the cold shock. He regarded her, the whites of his eyes showing as she listed her threats.


”N-n-n-n-nuh,” He said, instinctively turning a bit and trying to drag his body out another side of the deep hole. This female wasn’t kidding- she was sadistic and he could very well end up losing his life if he didn’t get away. His instinct was to flee- but with the rocks as slippery as they were, his attempt to pull himself from the water from any other side but the one that was guarded by her was impossible. ”P-p-p-please!” He begged. She’d given him options, and only one sounded harmless- though he clearly had no idea what she’d really meant. ”P-p-plaything. I’ll d-d-duh whateverrr,” He begged, oblivious to the fact that it might actually be better to freeze to death than to be Treason’s personal slave.

terance had showed up a little late. he'd been on patrol a little north of here when the scent of treason-- and a stranger-- crossed past him. naturally, he beelined it that way, a bit of concern bubbling up. he'd heard the commotion, as well, but naturally, by the time he got there, treason had already had the intruder cowering... and... in the creek. 

nose twitching, terance found nothing else wrong with the situation, catching the end of the conversation and chuffing with amusement. leave it to treason. his tail swung, ears pressed forwards, fur on his shoulders still slightly raised, but he didn't intervene. she had it handled.

Oh good, he was finally getting the message.  Maybe then he could be useful after all.  Terance had shown up on the scene as well, though he was missing out on some of the fun.  

I am Treason, that, pointing with her nose, is Terance. Our orders are priority, but if someone else in the pack needs you for something, you will do it.  All things considered, she was pretty sure she was being awfully nice about it.  Assuming this guy didn't go doing anything else stupid, he might be especially useful in the spring. By then he'd hopefully be sufficiently terrified of her to not risk fleeing when she was possibly dealing with pups.

Speaking of...  And if you run off before we say, I will hunt you down and extract the chunk of your hide I am generously letting you keep.  It would be a good sport, aside from the fact that some other pack would probably find a way to interfere.  But based on Treason's expression, yeah, she was serious.

She stepped away to give him some room at last to get on his feet, but kept a close eye in case he tried something shifty. Now get out of there.  Name?

At first, Joss didn’t understand that Treason was introducing herself- until she gestured to the male lingering nearby, then his addled, cold brain was able to put two and two together. His eyes widened as he realized she’d actually been serious..And that she intended to keep him around. Did this mean he was a part of the pack, even as a servant? He wanted to interject, but refrained, instead allowing his teeth to chatter loudly as he opened his mouth. Soundlessly, he nodded, his movement exaggerated by his shivering. He’d have to agree. But now he was not only at her beck and call, but to serve Terance and the others too. This was way more than he had bargained for.

Her threat made him swallow loudly and his frown stretched even wider. He was basically a hostage now...But it meant he sort of had a home, and that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, assuming he didn’t freeze to death before then. 

She beckoned- no, ordered him to get out of the water and he awkwardly vaulted from the deephole, sidestepping a few paces almost drunkely away from her, slipping on the rocks below his feet which skittered still from his tremors and he shook the excess water out of his pelt there, thinking he’d staggered far enough away from her that she wouldn’t get hit. She didn’t seem to want to let him get too far away- but shaking the water out was a necessity. He cowered immediately after, in case she thought to punish him for giving in to a primal instinct- and tried his best to splutter out his name. ”J—j-j-j....J-j-joss-s-s-s.”

terance gave one single nod, assessing the situation once again as treason spoke. weird, maybe, but if he was trespassing than this was more than deserved. he looked now to treason, studying her expression briefly before giving her another single nod and turning to leave. this seemed handled. 

world's worst post lol. ... terance was not doing much though.

Wrapping it up quick!

So this guy was Joss.  Well, he probably wasn't going to have a great time in the short term while Treason was pissed, but at least she needed him in one piece if he was going to dig out her den for her.  So he'd live, assuming he behaved.

Terance didn't seem to have anything to say about it either.  Good, so at least he wasn't going to go pull a Liffey on her.  They'd have to talk about what to do about this guy more specifically later, but for now she was left to her own devices with the scrawny half-drowned rat.  Go.  She herded him deeper into the territory which at least for now would be both Joss's home and prison.