Chimera Fields Straight Out the Gate

Before they evaluated the abilities of their pack, Kroc opted to get out and stretch her legs a little, placate the feeling of needing new scenery. It wasn't often that she felt it but, especially nowadays, she needed to get out of the Spine and explore, if only to investigate the surrounding lands. This was not a vacation, but a way to see if the idiotic Plains wolves — or any other threat to the Spine — were lingering in the territories nearby. If so, she would purge their presence from the area, or at least ward them off from the Southwestern pack. 

She moved with a fierce gate, a swagger if you would. With her nose in the air and her focus on the tells of the world, Kroc searched the open fields for no one in particular. 

Arverk was an explorer, a wanderer at heart, so it came to a surprise to himself that he had managed to stay put in the Spine for so long. It was a good thing, for it meant he was slowly admitting to himself that Ouroboros Spine was his new home, and his loyalty, his allegiances would always remain with Tonravik and Iqniq and all those who were of the Spine, of Tartok. But that didn't mean his lust for traveling would be suppressed, no, he would go every once in a while to explore the surrounding lands but he would always quickly return home, especially since Tonravik was growing even more pregnant with each passing day.

The lands of the Spine needed to be extra well defended with the pups coming, and Arverk wasn't going to be labeled as a disloyal and fickle wolf so fast after his acceptance into the pack. That day, the swarthy whale opted to leave the packlands for a bit and go for a bit of exploring, if only to check out the surrounding territories. There could be adventure awaiting for him too, or predators to be chased off.

But Arverk hadn't been expecting the familiar form and scent of his packmate and Beta Female, she didn't seem the type to leave the Spine. Well, he was wrong he supposed. The swarthy whale let out a soft chuff and approached in a posture befitting his rank, aiming to lick her chin submissively if she allowed it.

The sound caused her ears to flicker back, her head swinging around to watch the approach of another. To see that it was Arverk pleased the white creature, defined by the swish of her tail — raised, of course — and the slowing of her pace. She would allow him the brief display of submission, his tongue running along her chin before she moved forward to lead her new companion should he again want to accompany her. There was no reason why he would not, for the two had made a decent team back home in the Spine.

"What've you learned about the idiots who inhabit the lands around us?" Make no mistake, she did not underestimate the wolves around them, but she did not think too much of them either. 

His Beta turned her proud pale crown around and watched with fierce golden eyes as he approached. Arverk was grateful for her companionship, for however much he liked his 'alone time', wolves were social creatures and they tended to gravitate towards their own kind in the end. His tail — lowered, as befit his rank — flicked in an amiable manner in response to the Beta Female's swish of her own.

Arverk licked her chin submissively before falling in step slightly behind her, ears pricked and alert as he watched his surroundings with his keen blue gaze and sniffed the air for any unwelcomed visitors. It was only when Kroc spoke did he turn part of his attention back at her, the rest still scanning the area for other beings. "Most are too soft-hearted to strangers for their own good," the whale replied. "Others are idiots, foolish, ignorant and arrogant. Few have sense." Like Kroc, he did not underestimate them, but he didn't think too highly of them either.

He spoke and she listened with a turned ear, the other swiveled to listen to sounds of the landscape around them. As they moved, she nodded in agreement as she was of the the same opinion. Arrogance was almost as bad as stupidity and when a wolf embodied both traits, they were a special kind of retarded in Kroc's mind. "To our knowledge, there is only one pack in the area that shares our views." She had been informed of the Alphas' conversation with the Caldera leader and the idea of expanding their roam should the trespassing become more of a permanent problem. 

"Otherwise, other packs seem to not give a fuck about boundaries and rules." She couldn't understand why but she didn't need to. They would simply kill anyone that trespassed now, for their one warning had been given. If any other came against them, they would find themselves faced with unforgiving teeth and claws. She didn't think to explain why she was out here, to make sure that no other ventured near Ouroboros Spine, but walked on with him without doing so. 

The native wolves might believe that they were being 'brave', taking risks when they came near packlands and that they were simply being 'compassionate' when they took in random injured strangers or communicated with them in a friendly manner. To those wolves, Arverk could only say that bravery was simply a fancy name for stupidity and the being compassionate to random strangers would not benefit them in anyway whatsoever. Compassion was something reserved only for fellow packmates, not strangers.

"I see," he murmured at Kroc's words, withholding the urge to scoff and smirk at the sheer stupidity of the natives. They were so ignorant, so arrogant, so clueless....and they seemed to believe themselves invulnerable, immortal. Arverk would be more than glad to show them that they bled and died like any living being, and their terrible traits would only end their lives. Unfortunately, he was unable to go around assassinating other wolves in their own territories, no, the whale was not as arrogant or stupid as they were. He respected their borders, and the Spine did not need a wolf going around murdering others, however much they deserved it.

"It's almost like they would willing let a random strangers walk straight into their own packlands and do nothing about it," Arverk's velvety black ears swiveled sharply towards the direction of a faint nose but after a brief flare of his nostrils and a twitch of his ebony ears, he noted that it was only a rabbit hopping back to its burrow.

A fine snort left her, indignant and unsure of why anyone would ever just invite others, unknowns to walk into their lands, supervised or not. "Fucking fools," she rumbled. It was stupid, in every way, shape, and form. But she was glad the wolves of the Spine were not so, instead engaging any outsider that dared come too close. Arverk was one of those who had conformed easily, and she appreciated that of him. Her silence stretched now, though it was a comfortable one.

Attention swung to the rabbit but she did not go after it, knowing her own limits. While she could catch a coyote and at times, a fox, rabbits were not worth the effort for her large form as she was built for endurance more than speed. She was gladdened to find that there were no wolves in the immediate vicinity, though the want for violence rose under her skin and rubbed against her conscious. She wanted it, yes. But it was better if it did not occur, because that meant the borders were secure. 

It was just plain stupid to let a stranger into your lands, hell, it was stupid enough to even allow them to linger by the borders. That alone was enough to threaten the pack and if they did not have a good excuse, then if they were lenient, they could simply give them a few cuts to remember them by and chase away. But the best option was simply to aim to kill, to end their miserable lives. God knows they would be better off dead than alive with that many mistakes they made.

The strong survived after all. Only the strong.

Arverk nodded in reply to Kroc's statement, he preferred actions to words after all and if he did not need to speak, he preferred to remain silent. To simply listen and observe, be the one that knew everything but nobody knew he was there. He had always been that wolf, even when he was only a pup, and while it may not be the most honorable job, it sure was an important one and provided good information for the pack.

And honor meant nothing next to usefulness.

Sorry for the wait! You can decide what she finds and if she catches it or not! :P

Her ears flicked, her silence a natural thing. Poor Arverk had shit company for his exploration. She almost smiled at the internal though. Almost. He was a good fit for the Spine though; there was always a need for wolves that were not leadership, for there was no pack without them. But the dark wolf beside her was the epitome of a good pack member. He followed structure, hierarchy, and did not questions his orders (so far). He was a good addition to the Spine, and eventually, he might even be a good candidate for Tartok. 

Her attention shifted, drawn again by a rustle in the bushes. Having no idea if it was another wolf or not, she dove in teeth first. 

Contrary to what Kroc believed, Arverk thought that the ivory furred female was good company. He, himself was not a creature of words and he appreciated silence, in fact, there was more of a chance he would get along with a wolf who liked silence and was silent than a wolf who spoke too much. So the swarthy whale was glad that it had been the female of coarse speech that he had found instead of some talktative bastard. Though he didn't think anyone who talked too much would like the Spine; they were mostly physical wolves after all.

There was a rustle in the bushes, and immediately, the whale's attention shifted towards it. But before he could make any movements, Kroc leapt forward, ready to slaughter whatever poor being was in the bushes. Arverk's nostrils flared as he followed the polar bear, noting that it wasn't a wolf. His guess was affirmed when he caught sight of what his ivory companion's teeth had snagged. It was a fox and it didn't like being bitten by the wolf

Luckily for the fox, and not so luckily for Kroc, the Beta only caught the edge of the fox's tail, therefore the little creature managed to get away.

I am a loser and take forever I'm so sorry ;_; Do you want to keep going or close it?

The creature, the fox, slipped through her grasp, much to her displeasure. While it was not a wolf, a snack would have been quite nice, one that she could have easily split with Arverk. As it was, the Beta pulled herself from the bushes and bumped the whale's shoulder with a chuff. "Asshole got away." Her grumbling was not truly of an ill mood for the normally grumpy wolf, just a short explanation that was probably a bit obvious. "Let's go find a snack." With no wolves around, finding something to sate themselves with was the next best thing. In her opinion anyway.