Silver Creek Let's get it percolatin', while you're waitin'

Since he's been promoted I just wanted him to meet the hopefuls hanging around! @Seff @Freya @Hvitserk @Sunspot Not manditory, he's just seeing who he can find.

He had accepted Spring's offer, he was alpha. It was nothing like he'd ever imagined, although his imagings had always been pure fantasy. He'd never thought that he would ever be a leader. He'd always pictured stepping into the alpha position would be accompanied by something a little more dramatic, like perhaps someone singing while he posed majestically in the wind on a ledge or something.

It was strange in that nothing truly seemed to change right away. Instead of simply going about his day though, he would check borders and other leaderly duties. He still aimed to stay at Spring's side, protective over her and the cargo she carried. He was pleased to see that her belly now bore a noticable bump, which only increased his self-pride and protectiveness. Now though, he was walking the border. He wanted to make himself known to the hopeful wolves that lingered on the fringes as he had once. He wanted to see the faces of those that would join the pack and possibly interact with his children. He wanted to judge them for himself.

As of yet, he hadn't found anyone. It was cold, but oddly the wind had died down a decent amount. He had no clue of the blizzard that lurked only hours away, and was hopeful that perhaps the weather would finally pass by. Sadly, he was just staring into the eye of the storm. He kept his head up and alert, carrying himself tall and proud in his new rank. It was different in this way too. It was easy to forget with Spring, because he was so comfortable around her. But with the others he now had to keep an eye on their posture, to be sure they weren't disrespecting his rank. He had to present himself as a leader first and relax later, it was kind of exhausting. 

Of course, he wasn't going to be a tyrant either. He knew that some wolves wouldn't know that he'd become Spring's mate. He wasn't a bully, or an asshole, so he'd understand if some of them were confused or caught off gaurd, or even slightly suspscious of his new role. Which made interaction like this all the more important. He continued on the border, marking here and there and listening for any wolves that may be close. He tried to scent for them, but cold was not the best conditions for such things. He only hoped he'd stumble on someone, or someone would stumble on him.

*drops a random Tam on your head*

He had returned to the glade empty-handed after his foray to the east, curling up beside Silas with a sigh, glad for his companion's warmth. Tambourine rested after his brief but taxing trip, though only a few days passed before he felt the itch rise within him again. This time, he bade the glade goodbye and headed in the opposite direction. The ice made things a little treacherous, especially with his compromised balance, but he managed.

Tambourine found himself in yet another forest, walking beside a frozen stream. The instant a pack's scent struck his cold nose, he stopped. For good measure, he backed up several paces. He didn't want to trespass. Planting his misshapen feet, he tipped his snout into the air and sniffed. There were several wolves living nearby, though none of the scents struck him as familiar.

Unaware of the new Alpha male patrolling the borders nearby, the youth squeezed his eyes shut and howled. The chances of these strangers knowing anything about Stark's whereabouts was pretty much nil, yet Tambourine was nothing if not hopeful. Sure, he had lost his father figure, his home and some of his toes in one fell swoop. But it simply wasn't in his nature to give up or let life get him down otherwise.

Sunspot was also marking the borders, as she was intent on earning her keep in this pack. So far, she hadn't run into too many of her packmates, but that would surely change in time! For now, she just had to show that she was worth meeting.

So she scent-marked, lifting her leg instead of squatting simply because that was what she'd been taught. The sudden call of a stranger caused her to stumble for a moment, but soon enough, she was bounding toward the call, her pale plume of a tail flagging automatically as the stranger's scent reached her nostrils. This was no Silver Creek wolf!

"Hello, young stranger!" she greeted, her delight at meeting him exaggerated by her genial nature.

200 posts, yay Heston!

His patrol continued onwards, fruitlessly for a time. He was slightly disheartened by the lack of wolves around, but he tried to remain positive. It wasn't as if he'd called out for anyone to meet him, anyway. It's not like they were avoiding him, they just weren't in the same place he was. He almost felt a little slighted, though, as if he was a child no one wanted to play with. It was immature and silly both, he recognized this, but it didn't stop him from dejectedly kicking a pile of snow as he passed.

The howl that rose up caught his attention though, bringing his ears up. Finally! He headed towards the wolf, his step more upbeat now that his plans were being realized. He flagged his tail high again, a slight grin on his face. His first greeting of a wolf at the borders as an Alpha! How exciting! Of course, he'd never accepted or rejected anyone at the borders. Perhaps he should have watched Spring do it first. Well, he was here now.

He came up in time to hear the greeting of the female wolf. She smelled vaguely of Silver Creek, as if she had been hanging around the borders. The other, though, did not bear the smell of a hopeful. He was a younger male, and Heston took him in with a quick glance and then turned his gaze to the female wolf. She seemed a happy thing, her voice cheery. Heston paused a short distance from both of them, glancing from one to the other.

"Hello to the both of you." He said, suddenly feeling very unsure of himself and not liking it at all. "I'm Heston, Alpha male of Silver Creek." He looked to the female, offering a small smile. "It smells as if you might have spoken to my mate, Spring, already. I suppose you'd be in the process of joining us?" He waited a moment for her answer, before turning his eyes back to the younger wolf.

"And what brings you to Silver Creek?" He felt that his voice had adopted a somewhat more formal tone, it was strange but it fit the situation. Eventually he would be more comfortable with this and he could be himself. "Are you looking to join the pack as well?" With the weather being what it was, he wouldn't be surprised. In fact, he almost wondered if he should talk to Spring about suspending the joining process while the weather was on. That way their numbers would rise through the cold, and the wolves wanting to join could be put to use providing earlier.

Congrats on 200!

Two wolves came, one right after the other, their fur similarly pallid but their manners a little more varied. The she-wolf greeted him with friendly enthusiasm that teased a smile and a "hello!" from the careworn Tambourine, while the male—the Alpha male—spoke a little more sternly. The youngster made sure to mentally double-check his posture: head bowed, tail limp, demeanor respectful bordering on submissive. He made sure to drop his eyes to the snow in front of his malformed feet too, just for good measure.

Speaking to his damaged toes, he paused thoughtfully over Heston's question in particular before shaking his head and saying, "No. I'm here looking for someone. His name is Stark. He's a black wolf with blue eyes and a big scar on his chest. He might be traveling with Banner, who has dark brown fur and green eyes." Speaking of them made his throat and chest feel tight, though he glanced up hopefully through his boyish lashes. "I'm Stark's son. My name is Tambourine."

The cream-furred woman's tail dipped down instictively as the silver male approached. It surprised her, how easily she was adapting to being a subordinate once more. Part of her mourned the loss of her title, but more than that, she mourned the loss of her pack and family. Company was surely better than any title, and so, Sunspot would gladly play the part of a low wolf.

"Hello, Heston," she said brightly. "I am Sunspot - and yes, I have met with your lovely wife, and I am in the process of joining."

They both turned to the youth, then, Sunspot with a bit more warmth in her eyes - especially when he spoke of his reason for coming! "Oh, sweetheart," she tutted, wishing she had news of Stark to give him. Alas, she knew so such wolf.

The bubbly female returned his greeting, and confirmed that yes, she had talked to Spring. He nodded and grinned, though he didn't respond to her greeting just yet. They both turned to listen as the young wolf, Tambourine as he would soon call himself, explained his reason for coming. Heston listened to the description of the wolf and knew right away he had not seen either male. He didn't have to wonder long what Tambourine wanted with them, for the boy soon shared his reason through a throat that sounded suddenly tight. Heston frowned, concern filling his eyes despite the more stern demeanor he had attempted on approach.

His heart went out to the boy, who was obviously concerned. Sunspot tutted affectionately as the male finished. Heston felt horrible that he had no information to give, and wished that he did. "I'm very sorry, Tambourine. I haven't seen either of the wolves you described." He glanced to Sunspot, but it seemed she did not have any new information either. "I will ask my mate, Spring, when I next see her just to be sure. If she has any information I'll come find you myself." He wasn't sure if his own impending fatherhood played a role in the sadness he felt for the male, or if he'd always been a big softy. "And should I encounter either of them after this, I'll be sure to tell them you are looking for them." 

He glanced the male over again now, attempting to piece together any clues that could explain why he was unsure of where his father was. He noted the male's toes then, and cast only a quick curious glance over them. "Are you doing alright, yourself, Tambourine?" He asked then, spurred further. Did the boy have a place to stay? Somewhere to keep warm in the weather? He sent a glance Sunspot's way, wanting her to know that he hadn't forgotten her, and wasn't ignoring her.

The she-wolf only looked at him pityingly, her silence speaking volumes. Tambourine acknowledged this with a faint flick of his good ear before his eyes flitted hopefully over Heston's face. Heston's expression was not unlike Sunspot's and the youth felt his heart sinking. It made him feel a little better when the Alpha offered to consult with his mate, then make a point to come find him in the event he came across any helpful information.

"Okay," Tambourine replied, then added, "That would be great. I live in Mar—uh..." He blinked, suddenly at a loss for the new territory's name. Then it came to him. Although it felt all wrong, he finished, "I live in Golden Glade. It's that way." He motioned in the general direction of the forest in the distance behind him.

He followed Heston's line of sight to his feet. Tambourine shuffled a little bit. He wasn't really that self-conscious, though he knew he must look a little ragged. He was quick to answer, "Oh, yeah, I'm fine..." He trailed off a little tellingly, pausing before explaining, "I'm living with a pack in the glade. Um, we just moved there. They actually forced the pack that was living there out. Before, I lived in Marauder's Keep with Stark and a bunch of others. But," Tambourine finished, mouth twisting a little as his pale eyes dropped to his own feet again, "they all sorta... vanished. Everyone except me and Silas."

It struck the woman as odd that he would mention such unsavory business - Sunspot had to rethink his character, if he was willing to speak so glibbly about chasing off another pack and stealing their land. But he was young and awkward, and there was something very genuine about the way he'd come asking about his father - she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, as far as his character went.

But she'd rather not have a pack of rabble-rousers living nearby. Just how far that way? she wanted to ask, but instead, she looked to Heston, waiting to see what he thought of this business. Maybe they'd do some chasing off of their own.

The boy seemed pleased with his offer, though he stumbled over the name of his new home. He followed the gesture with his eyes, nodding slowly. He could find the glade if Spring did know something, he was sure. His question as to the welfare of the boy, and the glance at his paws, brought a quick but not very reassuring answer.

He listened with interest to the new information, wanting knowledge about the packs that were growing around them. They weren't enemies, of course, but they weren't yet friends either. He was unsure which part of the story he found more upsetting, that a pack had been forced away or that another had just vanished. His brow furrowed yet again, he was finding this to be a familiar expression. He caught Sunspot's glance and gave her a quick look of his own. She too seemed bothered about one of the details, or perhaps both.

"Forced the pack out?" He asked, glancing again to Tambourine's paws. Had he lost them somehow in a fight? "Why would they do that?" He paused a moment to give the boy time to answer, watching his closely. And then he spoke on the boy's family. "Vanished? A whole pack? Was it during the snowstorms?" Perhaps they had, somehow, all been caught unaware? They could have all frozen, a scene of horror waiting for the warm weather to be revealed. Even with that explanation, it didn't really make any sense. All of the adult wolves in a pack caught off guard but a young boy and only one other wolf survive? "There wasn't an avalanche or anything, was there?" He asked, curious. He didn't he know where the area the boy had lived in was. He'd never seen Marauder's Keep.

Both Sunspot and Heston seemed perturbed about the circumstances of Reek and company's claim on the glade. Tambourine swallowed and shrugged awkwardly. "I don't really know," he said honestly. "I wasn't there," he added. He wasn't trying to escape blame, it was simply a fact. He couldn't speak to the details and wouldn't speculate. He shot the pair an apologetic look.

"No, it was before the weather got really bad," Tambourine said, shaking his head and biting back a sigh. "They just vanished into thin air. All of them. Except for me and Silas," he repeated. "Then Reek showed up at the borders and asked us to come with him. We," he continued, taking a deep breath mid-sentence, "didn't have any other choice. Neither one of us is even a year old. He's a hunter but I don't have any skills or anything, so..."

He realized he was babbling. Tambourine pressed his lips together. A strange feeling crept over him as he wondered if he'd said too much. He was usually an open book who talked and shared a lot. But there was something about the expressions on his new acquaintances' faces that gave him pause. What if he'd unwittingly stirred trouble between this pack and his own? The boy swallowed.

"I should probably get back," he said, offering his hosts a weak smile. "Thanks for talking to me. And trying to help." He slowly waved his gray tail. "See you later." Tambourine gave Sunspot a quick smile and Heston a bow of his head before the youth turned and began shuffling back in the direction of the glade.

Sunspot's ears flickered and then laid back at the boy's abrupt decision to leave. It'd been an odd exchange, and while the woman still felt pity for the poor boy, she found that she was not disappointed to see the back of him.

Curiously, she glanced toward Heston, wondering how he was taking everything.

It didn't relieve any of his fears to hear that the boy didn't have any answers, though he was somewhat happy to know that Tambourine hadn't been involved. He frowned then nodded as he stated the disappearance hadn't involved the snow. Heston much preferred a simple, albeit depressing, answer to a mystery. At the mention of Reek, Heston felt the hairs along his spine tingle. His nose flared and he had to reel in his reaction quickly.

Suddenly, Tambourine seemed to see something in their faces that worried him. Heston was all the more inclined to pull the boy away from the pack that had driven out other wolves, a pack lead by Reek by the sounds of it. Yet again proving himself to be an all around bastard. Suddenly the boy was bidding them goodbye and Heston quickly called out to him. "Hey, Tambourine!" For a moment he was unsure what to say exactly. Reek has a history of being an ass so watch out? "You have a choice now." He said firmly. "If...if things don't fit you over there, with Reek, come back here and call for me. Bring your friend Silas too if you want. Silver Creek would be open to you." 

With that, he watched the male retreating. He felt Sunspot's gaze on him and looked to her. "I don't like any of that one bit, what about you?" He said, his voice quiet so that Tambourine wouldn't be able to hear. "I know about Reek, shit he's done before. I'm not surprised he broke up that pack and kicked them out, not hardly. I wouldn't even be surprised if he was somehow involved in the dissapearence of the others. Be better for the kid to not get involved with his type. Don't want anything rubbing off on you." He glanced towards where Tambourine had went, brow furrowed. He had a lot to inform Spring of.