Arrow Lake dogs

while the snow fell lightly - almost straight down - a swarthy fog consumed everything else across the lake territory, and stigmata lurked in the skyfall with intent. his nose was set to the ground, body slinking, as he hunted for @Corvus, curious to know how he was getting along with his tasks. his thoughts wandered idly to kazimir, and what order he should present to her so that she might prove herself. secondarily he thought to put mahler to the task, but then again, it had been his recruit and certainly his burden - but everything would come in due time.

for now he returned his focus on locating the shadow with the natural smile across his chest, traipsing loudly through the snow as he went.

Keeping the information vague since Treason hasn't given her spin on the deets yet, but it should suffice. :v

He'd returned to the lake not long ago, and as the steely leader sought him out, so Corvus did him. The snow around him was dragged straight down by the Earth, sprinkling him in flakes that clung to his dark pelage. He moved with purpose and at a steady clip, though not a rushed one, slicing through the fog like a sharpened knife. Having caught whiff of Stigmata, the raven headed straight his way, not wanting to waste any time. Soon enough, his hazy form came into view. Corvus' pace did not slow until near, making it clear that he had important news to shed. Still, he did not forget where his place was in this pack and bowed in submissive greeting. Stigmata, He began, remaining somewhat formal.

I've received... concerning information from a leader of Lost Creek Hollow about Redshank. Assuming Stigmata let him elaborate, he explained, About a year ago, he intruded on pack territory and tried to murder their alpha at the time, Rannoch. I thought you'd like to be made aware of this. Corvus paused then, waiting to see what the general thought of this situation. He didn't give his own opinion on the matter unless asked, for it was not he who decided what would become of Redshank.

it became clear, when he at last noticed the coal warrior, that corvus had been on a similar mission, and stigmata came to a stop - tail high and waving invitingly - as the two of them greeted one another. it seemed his comrade was even more eager to speak than he was, because the geist was quick to divulge what he had learned outside of diaspora's claim.

he was quiet for a moment when the mercenary finished, but he didn't seem particularly disturbed by the news. "and so i am now aware," he said aloofly, his gaze becoming heavy-lidded as he tilted his head and lightly arched a single, questioning brow. so now what?

He couldn't tell if Stigmata was simply remaining cool-headed about gaining this information or truly didn't care. Corvus expected the steel-bound leader to have more to say about the matter, but he didn't. Seeking this, he asked, What do you plan to do? He bit his tongue from tacking on the suggestion "drive him out". Redshank was a bloody fool, in his eyes. Not only that, but a fool willing to kill over frivolous happenings and misunderstandings. He couldn't imagine such an idiot being allowed to stay — not without a cost, anyway. Still, Corvus was a new face at the bottom of the totem pole. Being the reserved wolf he was, he'd listen to Stigmata's stance, first.

"what do you mean, what do i plan to do?" stigmata returned, frowning and feeling a little incredulous. "is that all the information you have for me - the word of an outsider?" his hackles rippled, but he seemed annoyed rather than violent towards the white-breasted dracul. "and what of your own comrade's word? have you done your due diligence first as redshank's packmate, and asked him if any of this was true?" of course he hadn't, he'd come straight to the head to tattle and relieve himself of involvement; expecting acknowledgement for the discovery and unwilling to hunt for the root of the problem himself.

he considered that corvus didn't think it was his place to ask redshank anything, but if he was going to be their family - if any of them were going to be kin to one another - then they needed to already be putting diaspora before anyone else. past relationships be damned. "who gave you this information?" he asked tartly, particularly keen to hear who from lost creek hollow cared so much about their ranks.

A slight twitch of his ears and a tightening of his jaw were the only outwards indications of his rising ire. The gunmetal man's hackles flared, but Corvus stood resolute, resembling more a statue of a wolf than a breathing one. If it's true, who would openly admit to something so damning? For me to ask him first would've created more theatrics than necessary. I imagined you'd be made aware and would make the final decision anyway. That is why I went to you first, He explained evenly. Corvus cared not for the acknowledgement of others, but he did care that a murderous fiend wasn't left to lurk in the ranks of a pack he inhabited.

As leader, was it not Stigmata's responsibility to handle issues such as these? Why would it be expected of him, a member of the lowest pack rank, to handle such an executive issue on his own before even confronting leadership? He'd seen unorthodox leaders, but this was something else entirely. The raven was baffled by Stigmata's reaction to what was standard protocol in any other pack he knew of, and it was beginning to bleed into his expression. Actually, most pack leaders would've been furious if he had tried to handle it himself. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't irked at this point.

To his question of who gave him the information, Corvus supplied, Treason. He had an inkling Stigmata wasn't fond of the dark-hooded woman based off of her take on their interactions, but he supposed he was about to find out. Her damned name wouldn't help in the credibiltiy department, either.

"whether he admitted to it or not, a self-proclaimed mercenary such as yourself should have been able to surmise how truthful he was being," the wolf growled, picking up on his packmate's irritation, and feeling that he had no right to feel such a way. it may have been stigmata's prerogative to dole out any final decisions, but he was certainly not interested in addressing half-rendered stories. what kind of decision was he supposed to make from what he was given? "no one is asking you to go around tossing baseless accusations, but for you to simply have asked him about it before speaking behind his back would have been to give your own packmate the benefit of the doubt. this is your family now, corvus. if you cannot at least confront a fellow comrade with a rumor you have heard about them, then we will not survive."

he was aware that corvus seemed rather put off - having obviously expected something different from the general - but as valuable as he thought the male to be, stigmata simply had no patience to lord over every member's actions or hound them for past secrets. whatever wrongs redshank had done in the past had not so far been reflected in the present, so if corvus only meant to warn the sandraudiga, then he had accomplished his mission. except, it felt more like the male expected stigmata to do something about the ruddy cretin in their ranks - though for the life of him, he couldn't imagine what the mercenary could have wanted, when he himself knew very little of the situation.

treason? he didn't know the name, but as he had presumably met all the leaders at lost creek the only day he had visited, he tried to clarify. "what do they look like?"

S p i c y

His first sentence only served to perplex him further. He was a mercenary, not a lie detector. What did the two have to do with each other? There were few things that Corvus took offense to, but Stigmata's jab at the one thing he prided himself in was one of them, strange as it was. I never interrogated anyone. I was a soldier, He explained, and while Corvus did have an eye for reading people, it was never his job. What if it was obvious Redshank was lying? Then he'd tell Stigmata, who would have to see for himself anyway to make sure it wasn't "a baseless accusation".

Family. Stigmata may have considered his packmates family, but it was not so easy for Corvus to do the same. His heart was well-guarded and sealed off with iron doors. He didn't push others away, but it would take a lot more than two weeks' time for the nosferatu to consider anyone family. I'm afraid I cannot consider someone family in such a short amount of time, especially with so little knowledge about them, He vocalized. Perhaps the general would have an issue with that too, but that was how he felt. So be it.

To him, it sounded more like Stigmata were scolding a child rather than discussing a serious matter with the grown adult of the same age he was. This isn't mere gossip; there's no way I would have kept such a serious accusation to myself, and I wasn't going to act without hearing your input first. If it were less serious, I would have confronted him. What's wrong with confronting him after you've been made aware? Most alphas would've had my head if I didn't talk to them first — I thought that was expected of me, but I see now that I misjudged that. Almost an apology, but not quite. Even if considered a mistake on his part, could he really be blamed? The way Stigmata wanted this pack run was far different from any he was familiar with.

Stigmata didn't know Treason by name, which Corvus found odd, having assumed they would've exchanged names — especially when she was aware of his. With a light sigh through his nose, he clarified, A large white wolf with a dark hood over her head. She's now a current leader of Lost Creek Hollow. His voice reflected the weariness he felt under the frustration that'd boiled to the surface within him. Corvus thought Stigmata's desire to control an entire mountain range was ludicrous, and he'd given him the benefit of the doubt then, but here he was questioning the man's logic once again.

"you do not need a history of interrogation to know how to ask your packmate if something you heard is true or not," he said, looking at the male skeptically as he now felt fully aware that whatever he said from that point on would be taken personally, and therefore probably the wrong way. "but i understand why you have chosen this course of action, now that i know you were a soldier." it explained a lot, really. and the fact that corvus did not see them yet as family was to be expected, so the wolf did not comment on this, but if he was incapable of learning how to operate their way, regardless of previous experience, then they might have come to an impasse.

"you are not a soldier here, corvus. we have tasks for you, not orders. you will see the difference in time, but it must start with you understanding that i do not control you or anyone else here, and i am not in the business of punishing wolves for their pasts, especially those who have done me or mine no wrong." the only thing he needed corvus to understand was that he had only come to stigmata with problems and no mention of a solution.

corvus went on to unnecessarily explain his reasoning for not going to redshank first - reasons stigmata understood well enough but did not condone himself - and it left the tactician to wonder why the mercenary had come to join them so quickly if what he wanted was a slow build. why not then go with wolves he was more familiar with? "you have not made a mistake coming to me," he thought to clarify. a mistake would have been to physically accost redshank on the accusation alone. "but i would have appreciated you saving me the trouble, by first asking redshank himself about his involvement before coming to me."

stigmata sighed. "i just need to know if you can do your own reconnaissance from now on, or not. i do not expect you to keep things of this nature from me, but i do expect more of an initiative, especially if you ever want to see us as your family and not just as fellow expendables." why was he being so sensitive about talking to his own packmates anyway? they could've moved on already if corvus could understand and move on from the fact that stigmata simply wasn't "most alphas." he didn't expect to be in control of everything, and even though he had lofty goals - goals that even a non-believer like corvus had decided to back for a time - he went on about things in an entirely realistic mindset.

his expression changed slightly as corvus described the proposed trumpeter, and annoyance passed over him like a cloud. "i see. and was redshank the only wolf of diaspora she had something negative to say about?"

corvus was forthcoming with what he knew, but their relationship may have been irreparably damaged in the short exchange. they would not have the chance to revisit their differences again before the geist had taken his leave, and stigmata would regret the loss of him only briefly before being forced to move on.