They swept up the mountain together. A wall of entities watching the shadows with care and moving with precision. Not a single sound of protest came forth from his comrades, and so he found his ego being bolstered by their silent agreement. Their loyalty—even the loyalty which was suspect to him from Cutthroat—was proven true. The mountain was not an impenetrable fortress; the slopes and trees were easily navigated and yet, in that process, the wolves began to fan out. Njal was aware of this. His words to them previously had warned against being separated from the group but that had not happened yet. However, they were making good time.
When the first howl rang out, the sound made Njal pause mid-stride and then lull to an abrupt halt; it was close, and it was familiar. Jace stepped out from the shadows soon after. His voice was decidedly cold, but that did not bother Njal—in fact, the Beta hardly paid attention at first. When an actual question came to light, the man chuffed softly to himself. He was not here to banter with the boy. With a brief glance around, the warrior tried to ascertain how many others were nearby... But he need not wait long.
Ferdie arrived next, and said nothing. His own howl came forth then, which Njal found curious... He wondered which wolf was truly in control. The posture of both of them was hostile but that was to be expected. Ferdie paced between them for a moment or two, before another creature slipped forth: a dark wolf with fiery eyes and a rumble in her belly. Njal remained silent. He watched each of them, collecting details as the two rival groups aligned themselves, and gradually allowed his own golden gaze to land upon Jace once more—his expression as cold as the boy's greeting.
Reason?
Njal quipped, sounding surprised despite the lazy lilt of his voice, You do not know the meaning of the word.
The stern man scoffed as he perused the gathered faces. Somehow the two fools had coerced a stranger in to their ranks. How would the dark girl react in knowing the true aspirations of her leaders? The danger they posed? Perhaps a fight here would be worthwhile after all. If Jace or Ferdie lost control again, they could easily destroy themselves. Njal harbored such thoughts as he looked so casually around, his eyes landing on the dark girl briefly. Do you know much about these leaders of yours?
Njal queried rhetorically, before launching in to an unprompted explanation, Do you know what little control they have over themselves? We drove away our friends in order to protect ourselves from the danger they posed. There is something wrong with them. Something sick. And yet here they are, setting up camp where they are not welcome.
The gold shine of his eyes now traced the harrowed features of Jace, This is unacceptable.
As the moment grew stale and tense, he motioned with a small glance at his comrades and a flick of his nose that they should fan out a bit. He caught the eye of Danica, and in that moment the ice in his gaze became a flickering flame—do your duty he was silently telling her, have your fun.
You are free to make a family if you want, there is no harm in that. But you cannot do it here.
Njal's voice grew louder in that moment, carrying in to the trees to any others that may be lurking nearby. He twisted his head away from Danica and towards the gathering enemy. These demands were not so harsh. The creek wolves currently outnumbered the peak wolves, and even if they didn't, Swiftcurrent was a long established pack with well trained warriors. Njal had seen to that. If they met true resistance (and he did not expect anything else) there would be blood shed this day. Perhaps it would be enough to drive these fools from the mountain.
With that said, Njal drifted in to an uneasy silence. He expected the tension of the situation to escalate quickly, thus he began to prepare. While the others did as their orders instructed (spreading out, searching while he spoke, causing whatever problems they wished in order to sully these lands) the Beta watched Jace and Ferdie closely. As long as he provided enough frustrating conversation, Njal could distract while the others set to work.