Redtail Rise Maladroit

For @arion and @saena!  Recruitment thread! Taking place directly after http://wolf-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=8872

"She may only be a yearling," he commented, referring to Saena, looking back to major-dickface who followed behind him back to Redtail Rise.  "But, she's got her head on straight, you know? Age doesn't really matter when it comes to that sort of thing.  It's all capability at that point, and I'll vouch for her... I think she's got that."  

The bastard had continued to speak in his monotonous motormouthed drivel for the entire walk back from the poppy plant, pausing only to stop for air as he filled Arion in on ever single, painstaking, detail of the fledgling pack.  As his anger and aggravation faded away with the time spent in their walk, the ragged wolf had become much more talkative as he reverted to his more natural state.  The greek barely had time to even get a word in during Reek's unending spiel.  Although, the bastard still saw the chocolate covered male that followed behind him as a total asshole, he could see that he would more than likely be a welcome member of their future pack, and possible a partner in crime... supposing Reek could get past his arrogance.

"It's a nice place," he continued, motioning around wildly with his muzzle, usual shit-eating grin plastered across his maw.  Reek pointed high up in the ridge with his paw.  "My den's up there. I share it with my good friend Wyn. That's also where I keep all the plants.  If you need anything, you know where to find me." 

Finally ending his longwinded spiel, Reek turned his muzzle to the sky and howled to @Saena.  The yearling tended to stay close to the rise, popping in every once in a while to check up on the two homesteaders.  Hopefully, she would be in the area to hear his call.  "And now, Arion. We wait," he chirped, crashing to his haunches into the dirt.

There was really nothing to occupy his mind on on the journey to Redtail Rise, so he occupied himself with listening to Reek's endless chattering about fledging pack. It seems that when the fellow bastard was not occupying himself with yelling insults at him, he talked without stopping and grinned in the same annoying way he did. In fact, Arion found the arsehole almost likable, almost, at least in his weirdo mind's opinion. That did not erase the fact however, that Reek was ultimately still a huge arsehole and dickhead, but perhaps in the future, he could be a possible partner in crime, like how Chiron once was.

But obviously, a more annoying version of Chiron. "Yeah, I know. Its the capability that matters" Arion nodded, he knew he was basically repeating the other wolf's words, but really, who cared? Eyes of honey scanned the environment, the fledgling's pack soon to be home, and agreed with Reek. It was a nice place indeed, and a good territory for a pack to make its home in. Flicking his ears back to listen to Reek as he spoke, again. "You've got a girlfriend? Or is it a boy?" Arion asked with mock incredulousness, totally ignoring the fact that the bastard had referred to his denmate as a friend. "You've gotta introduce me next time I meet whoever that is," the stallion smiled crookedly.

Arion memorised the place where Reek said he lived immediately, he knew he would need to go there if he ran out of poppy, which would probably happen every week or so. The chocolate coated Πρίγκηπας shifted his weight as his companion tilted his head to the sky and called for Saena and the plopped on his rump.

The stallion stayed on his paws, tilting his head towards the dark furred male and as his usual stoicness settled over him, he asked "Hey man, do I refer to you as my drug dealer, colleague or friend?" He managed to keep all hints of amusement out of his tone when he said the word, friend.

The yearling was diligently marking the northern edge of their claim when a howl cut across the ridge and drew her attention. Often it was the sound of pack wolves, either those from the northern mountain or those from the southern range, but today it was much closer. She deciphered the message and turned on her heel, abandoning her marking for now in favour of learning what information Reek brought back.

She overheard an unfamiliar voice as she drew nearer, and her hackles rose in response. The pack was just beginning and hardly had enough of a force amassed to really chase off anyone, but she was still protective of the ridge. A stranger was still a potential threat until proven otherwise. As she came into full view of the stranger, fully prepared to confront him if needed, she saw two wolves, and one of them was Reek. She relaxed, but couldn't keep the evident surprise from her eyes as she drew up before the two males, her stubby tail lifted a little to state her authority in case the unknown wolf needed to know. Her gaze lingered on Arion, but then she glanced at Reek and smiled.

"Hey, Reek," she acknowledged him, padding nearer to bump her snout against the side of his in affectionate greeting if he would allow it. "Who's your friend?" Her eyes went back to Arion now as she took the opportunity to appraise him. What she saw was promising, comforting even, but there was no way of knowing his intention here until one of them stated it. She hoped he was considering a life here, though; a wolf of his stature would make a fine Warden. It was a skill they most definitely needed.

The greek was obviously disinterested with the ragged wolf's unending jabber, but who could blame the guy?  Reek's motormouthed tirades tended to be tiresome to listen to.  However, his interest seemed to peak when Reek mentioned the den he shared with his companion, and ultimately, where to pick up the drugs (of course).  Arion's simple repetitions ended there with an actual and complete statement.  One that completely took Reek aback in awkward surprise.  

Girlfriend. "I— I, um... no?" he stumbled, voice increasing in pitch as he went along.  "She— I mean... fuck.  We aren't official or anything.  We haven't really discussed labels but, yeah, I like her.  Like, a lot.  I plan on talking to Wyn about it once this whole pack thing settles.  Hopefully, by then, I'll have better means to provide for her by."  The feelings were there, on both sides... the bastard was sure of it.  However, he had no idea how to proceed on them.  Love, if you could call it that, wasn't a rational thing and very foreign to the ragged wolf.  It threw his theories of social predictability straight out the window and added far too many variables to the equation, effectively muddling his social process in a hazy complication. 

"You can refer to me as a pack-mate," Reek said, regaining his vocal composure. "Sort-of, maybe."  It all really depended on what Saena thought of him.  If he were accepted into the fold, Reek would see him as family, douchiness and all.  Like that weird uncle who shows up at the Christmas party and spouts racial slurs... sure, he's off, but you love him all the same.  

It didn't take long for Saena to arrive to the party.  Her job of marking the future territory had kept her close, much to Reek and Arion's luck.  "Saena!" he exclaimed, returning an affectionate nuzzle back. "Picked this guy up in the valley, needs a place to stay," Reek said, motioning the Arion.  His deal and the circumstances were unimportant, and Reek decided that they best be left out of play, for the sake of both males.

A knowing grin spread across Arion's maw when Reek's voice increased in pitch as he replied to his comment about the ragged bastard having a girlfriend. "Oh man, you do have a girlfriend, never thought someone like you would have one." His tone was playful teasing, much unlike the insulting tone he had took on the moment he met Reek. "Good for you though," he added with an afterthought, remembering that he was supposed to say something like that when someone had a girlfriend, or an unofficial love interest/partner/girlfriend.  

"I like drug dealer or colleague, it sounds better," the greek said with a stoic face and concealed amusement. He hoped he would be able to trust Reek with dealing him drugs in the future, that was, if he was accepted into the fledgling pack. He knew if he did not have the drugs he needed, he would turn into a this crazed drug addict who lost all his drugs and would do anything to get some more. Perhaps Chiron was right, perhaps he really should try cutting the drugs.

Soon a figure arrived and greeted Reek while his drug dealer uttered her name which confirmed the fact that she was the leader of the soon to be pack Redtail Rise. She also raised her docked tail (he dared not ask her about its backstory now) which indicated authority.

"Yep, what he said." Arion nodded and decided to introduce himself. "The name's Arion, nice to meet you," yep, he was definitely improving with social pleasantries.

Both wolves were quick with their explanations. Saena didn't necessarily prefer for others to be concise, but in this situation it was welcome. A lengthy explanation would only have roused suspicion about Arion's origin, but it seemed he was just a lone wolf that Reek had encountered who needed a pack.

"Nice to meet you, too," she said, smiling. "As Reek pointed out, I'm Saena. This is Redtail Rise." She vaguely motioned to the ridge behind them. As red-tailed hawks flew overhead constantly, it had taken almost no time to come up with a name for the territory. It wasn't much of a mountain, but it was higher and sharper than the plateau had been. Rise seemed appropriate. "Are you a warrior?" she asked next, looking him over rather conspicuously and drawing the conclusion from his stature.

There wasn't much she could do to test his abilities, but that didn't mean she wouldn't be willing to try if he turned out to be the sort of wolf she hoped he was.

Got my 3 posts! Gonna pull Reek out so y'all can sort-of turn this into a one on one recruitment thread

"Ass," he half-spat, half-joked with a hearty chuckle toward the greek.  That would be a fitting moniker for the chocolate male.  Colleague was far too formal... however, junky? Nah, that would be too mean.  Ass fit.  In a sense, his new nickname was a term of endearment.  It took a colossal asshole to rival the ragged bastard in a war-of-words, however with Arion, Reek had met his match which made him giddy with excitement after the initial aggravation had worn away.  Lord, help the others who would have to deal with the two in stereo.   

Rising to his paws with an awkward wobble, the ragged wolf turned to face Saena. "I think i'll let you both talk things out alone,"  mused the walking bone-bag.  Reek turned back to Arion, giving him a curt nod and a sly simper. "You know where to find me," he stated dryly before setting off to ascend the ridge and walk back to his den to see Wyn again.  As he walked, he quietly wondered what Wyn would think about Reek's new friend... she'd probably hate him.   

When Saena asked him if he was a warrior, a crooked smile spread over Arion's maw. "Yeah, I am." The man nodded, fighting was definitely his thing, it was practically one of the only things that stopped him from dying of boredom. "I'm also a hunter and outrider, I studied poisoning for sometime but I'm not a healer." Arion paused, not really knowing what to say next but remembered what he had said to Falwasi before they sparred that day. "I'm good at most physical things and diplomatic things, I'm not really good at things like caretaking."

That pretty much summed up everything, he could talk and use his wits, he enjoyed doing that. Arion could fight and defend, that was what his father trained him to do, but he could not take care of children, or heal someone, or counsel wolves, it was simply not his thing. And the world should be glad for it. Because if he had chosen the path of a counselor, wolves would have jumped off cliffs and suicided in many different ways because that was his kind of advice.

Reek dismissed himself and Saena let him go with one last affectionate nudge to his cheek. She watched him go, no doubt back to Wynter in their den near the top of the ridge, before turning her attention back to Arion. He'd confirmed he was a fighter and an outrider, both trades that pleased the pale wolf. Poisoning had limited usefulness as far as she was concerned, so on that, she said nothing.

Of the others, she noted, "strong wolves to man the borders are in need here right now. Good Outriders, too. I'm one myself," she shared. She wasn't worth much in a fight, but she knew travel took just as much, if not more, strength than fighting did. It was the tactic of a fight and not just the raw power that tended to win it.

"I'm not a fighter," Saena told Arion, "but all the same, if you wouldn't mind a quick spar, I'd like to see what you can do." Any wolf who was better than she was a worthy fighter. Any wolf that was worse than she... well, they were probably lousy. It wasn't always a great gauge, since fighters had good days and bad days, but hers was perpetually bad where winning was concerned. Arion would have no trouble besting her in a spar if he was a wolf worth his word.

Perhaps it would reflect poorly on her capability to hold her title and her land, but Saena didn't believe that all-out strength made a good Alpha. The strongest wolf could rise to rule, but he would not win the pack's support without more than that. She believed she had the "more than that", and worried not for Arion's opinion of her as a leader if she lost. As if to invite him to prove himself, she squared her stance, lowered her snout slightly, and readied herself.

Of course it had to be the borders, it just had to be about the borders. Man, seriously though? She could've said hunters were in need here but obviously, they didn't need wolves to hunt, but to patrol and guard and fight off intruders. How boring and dull and predictable. Well, the patrolling and guarding was, the fighting was....well, more interesting. At least his skill of being an experienced explorer and outrider was needed too. But then, it was obvious that wardens were needed more than outriders were.

Arion's chocolate brown ears flicked forward when Saena spoke, saying she wasn't a fighter but would still like to spar with him and see what he could do. This was a trap, he couldn't refuse because although the words had been phrased to seem like an offer, it was actually an order. Honestly, why couldn't they just simply say 'lets spar' or something. Much easier. The stallion didn't say a word about his thoughts, though, because it would be an automatic kick out.


"A spar sounds fine," the greek offered himself, a crooked smile spreading across his maw as he shifted his stance, flattened his ears against his skull, lowered his muzzle to protect his throat and got ready to fight his soon to be Alpha. Arion usually was not one to make the first move but today he did, after circling her for a few moment, he lunged forward with a catlike grace, feinting a blow to her shoulder but swiftly turning to nip at her left forelimb instead, hoping to unbalance her.

If successful, he hoped to leap on top of her and pin her down.

Arion wasted no time in showing what he was worth. He made no show of setting his defenses, and rather than waiting for her to move, he dove right in. Saena made quick notes of these things in her mind in the split second between his first movement and the time she had to move. From that point onward, there would be no time to take mental notes. Arion would either prove himself a true fighter or he would not. She was a poor opponent, but that didn't mean she had no skill whatsoever.

She was a wolf, and a hunter, and therefore had plenty of skill in biding her time and attacking when an opening presented itself. She wasn't so good at defending properly, and so she had to rely on her ability to dodge, which would only hold out for so long.

She swung to the side to avoid his shoulder hit, but it was a feint, and Arion managed to catch her from the other side. His teeth grazed her leg, little more than a scrape—neither wolf aimed to hurt the other, after all—but it was still an indication of just how much she had to learn in the art of fighting. Prey didn't feint like that.

Saena did manage to keep her feet despite Arion's efforts. She spun her lower body away and lunged forward in an attempt to ram her tightly closed snout against his shoulder. In a real fight, her teeth would be bared and she would aim to slice into his flesh, but this was nothing but a demonstration. It was more like flag football than anything. A sharp rap on the shoulder with a blunt snout would serve the same purpose.

Arion concealed a small smile when she fell for his feint and he successfully managed to bite her leg gently, unfortunately she was not too unskilled and did not fall over, he did not mind. After all, the stallion liked the challenge, and the harder the opponent was to defeat, the more he loved the fight. It was the thinking, the tactics and strategies involved that drew him to the art of the warrior, the more challenging the opponent, the more he could use his brain.

The greek managed to sidestep, avoiding her blow to the shoulder and then twisted around immediately and attempted to charge straight at her, hoping his weight would knock her back and therefore off balance. He moved full speed towards her, and his full speed was very fast indeed, he was named after the horse who was so fast, he could run on the sea without sinking after all.

If she lost her balance, it would be quite easy to pin her onto the ground and therefore win the spar.

Her forward thrust was deftly avoided. Arion was bulky enough to look the part of a fighter, but he moved swiftly, far faster than she would've anticipated in her inexperience. She was disappointed to have missed, sure, but was far more pleased with his skill. He would be a great asset to the pack for however long he chose to stay. She silently hoped it would be for a while.

His immediate retaliation came in the form of a charge. Saena tried to avoid it, but was too slow, having not foreseen it, and he caught her side easily. Just as Arion hoped, the collision put Saena off balance, and in an attempt to recover, she let her left hip sink to the floor. Thoughts flashed in her mind, the foremost being how glad she was that this was a mock fight and not a real one, for this turn of events would've cost her her life.

Of course, Arion could still take her life and take her ridge, but she trusted him not to do that. She didn't doubt the Redtail wolves would fall upon him if he made such a bold move.

His charge was a success, though Saena tried to avoid it, he still caught her easily and she fell off balance, seeing an opportunity, the stallion attempted to push her down once more and pin her onto the earth, therefore, hopefully finishing the fight. The greek was not stupid, he knew if his soon to be leader did indeed lose the fight, he could kill her and take over the Rise. Arion could lead, he knew that, but he did not want to lead the Rise, who would want to follow a drug addict anyways?

Maybe fade here and we can have another soon? :)

Saena tried to muster the strength in her legs to shake Arion off the moment he fell on her, but his brawn proved too much. Her legs trembled beneath the weight of rising and gave, and she fell to the ground fully, defeated. For a while she remained there, allowing the fighter to relish his victory. A thrum of panic and uncertainty wound its way into her heart beat in the interim, but he didn't kill her like he could have if ambition took hold. She thanked her lucky stars for that.

When finally they parted and Saena stood on her feet once more, she grinned. "Welcome to Redtail Rise," she said with conviction, turning to lead him to the upper reaches of the ridge where she might explain their vision for the future and get him better acquainted with the land.

Sure! Last post from me :)

Saena had determination, Arion would give her that, but she lacked the skill. Hopefully she would make up for that with her leadership skills, if she had any that is, every wolf had the right to doubt their leader until they had proved themselves. Besides, he had only known her for a brief moment, he had every right to doubt who he liked. The soon to be Alpha fell beneath him, fully defeated, he allowed no arrogant smile to creep over his features, instead allowed himself to give the fallen wolf a nod, thanking Ares and Zeus for his victory.

The greek wondered if Saena was thinking that he would kill her, he was tempted to, that he did not deny. He was not good after all, not a lawful wolf, freedom was what he desired, he did whatever the hell he liked and damned the consequences.

Arion backed off and Saena rose onto her paws, with a grin she officially welcomed him to her pack, he returned the smile with the crooked mischievous smile he always used. He had a new home now, but how long would it be his home? That was the question.