Swiftcurrent Creek a seven nation army couldn't hold me back

@Fox

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The days wore on with little effect to the cinnamon male. His creamy paws loped the borders day in and day out without sight of others, and in truth, only the very faint tell-tale sign that any outside wolf had been there. It would seem Swiftcurrent Creek had a quiet border, unlike the ones he had left behind at Neverwinter Forest.

He still felt a pang for the forest – regretful that he had not stayed and perhaps risen the pack up once more.. instead, he had left to search for Chakra – finding little to no sign of her. He was not foolish to believe she had fully abandoned them.. and yet, nor did he feel she was in any form of danger. Instead, her whereabouts remained a mystery to him, and little by little, he even began to forget the scent that had clung to her pelt.

Despite that, his ambitions grew more and more each day. He could not particularly state he felt at home within the lands he currently resided, nor would he agree that he was keen to leave. Instead, he would bide time to make decision, and perhaps, gain opportunity with the passing moments. So he fell within the duties of pack life – the sky was overcast, though the air was warm. It felt damp upon his fur, as if rain was coming.. with a weary sigh, Scimitar glanced upward, wondering if a thunder shower was heading their way.

Thanks for starting!

Fox squatted, marking the territory with her scent to make sure that others would know that this land was decidedly claimed. Keeping the borders fresh was a large part of her duty. Bazi's scent was thick upon it as well, and Fox was pleased. Njal's was less so, and she was already considering booting him from his position. He simply wasn't stepping into the position as much as she had hoped. She still knew he was valuable, and considering he and Tuwawi had a litter on the way, she thought it may be less useful to have him as her second Beta. Perhaps he did better in the lower ranks. She mulled over this, but had not yet made a decision.

Squatting a final time, she sniffed the marking and then turned into the creek. Fox trotted at a leisurely pace, having nowhere in particular to go. She was about halfway to the creek's heart when she sniffed out Scimitar. She did not think she had seen him since she had intercepted him at the border, and she wondered why she had not sought him out prior. He was young, strong, and a perfect specimen. Fox wasted no time in trotting toward him, ears perked up as she approached him.

“Scimitar,” she greeted, a friendly nip to his shoulder (should he allow her to get close enough). “You look well.”

HIs muzzle canted downward at the sight of the of the fiery she-wolf – her small figure moved forward with a lithe grace that seemed to hold a confidence that stretched further than rank. He blinked at the female, her nip stirring a rumble from his chest in a welcome to her presence. Bazi’s words flitted across his mind at that point, leaving a moment of hesitation within him. She was a young thing still, not able to birth children just yet – no wonder her collection of large males was growing within their ranks.

“Fox,” he offered in turn, his nose moving to bump at her cheek in their closer vicinity. The opportune moment could have arisen to compliment her in turn, but he did not grasp it. Scimitar was no pawn to anyone’s game, and the ivory Beta’s statement had indicated he very well could be. “And you’re in higher spirits than our first meeting,” he deferred on topic, his aqua eyes skimming her over curiously. He knew very little about the feisty creature before him – only that even at such a young age, she commanded wolves not only larger than her, but likely more experienced. That in itself was intriguing.

I like not referencing old threads so Fox "forgets" everything. :P

“Am I?” she asked, not remember exactly what her mood had been on that day. “I do hope I didn’t make a terrible first impression,” she added, a grin lifting the corners of her mouth just-so. Scimitar towered over her and probably could have knocked her over with a single bat of his paw. Some might have noticed his sparkly pretty-boy blue eyes, but Fox tended to focus on traits that were likely to give her strong children—not necessarily pretty ones. The pretty eyes were just the icing on top of the cake. They would be noticed later, no doubt.

“Do you consider yourself a good hunter, Scim?” she asked, toying with the idea of a pack hunt. Fox knew that hunting was a team effort, and she was only part of the formula. It was wolves like Scimitar who could really take down a large beast. Fox was one of those who gave chase and nipped at their heels. A pack hunt right before the birth of Tuwawi and Njal's children seemed rather fitting.

The coyness of her words was akin to Bazi – it suddenly occurred to Scimitar that he had chosen his next home very well. The flirtations of women were not something he was accustom to – he had never held the chance to truly settle since he had become the age of procreation, and so he was inexperienced in these matters.

Bazi and Fox made it quite simple, though.

His own roguish smirk preened at the corner of his lips as he tipped his muzzle. "I doubt you could," he spoke, referring to a potential bad impression. Fox was perhaps many things in the short time he had met her for, but a terrible first impression was far from it – she ran her pack strictly.. and order was something the agouti male thrived upon.

Her question stirred a quizzical look from the Frostfur, his figure shifting as his creamy paws began to skirt a path around her. It had been since the winter months past that he had run on a good hunt with an amicable companion, and he felt a stir of adrenaline in his chest at the thought. “I like to think so, but why don’t you test me, nimble paws?” He wasn’t sure what she would think of the name – and yet it somehow seemed fitting for the wiry girl.

Nimble Paws, eh? Fox canted her head to one side, testing the name in her head a few times before deciding it was probably better than "Lil' Weenie." Truth be told, she quite liked her good ol' fashioned birth name. It was short, spunky, and described her coloration perfectly well. Then again, given nicknames were always amusing in their own right, and the givers often knew more about her than her parents had when she had been born. Heck, Scim probably knew more about her through association than her parents did at this point.

But hunting right here and now was not her plan. “It’s a task for later, but would you organize a hunt for the creek?” she asked. Fox wanted to get a taste for what his leadership skills were like. Not only that, but it would be a good way for the pack to come together. They had many new recruits, and it was important for them to feel supported by one another.

She was testing him -- for what, he wasn't quite sure. Yet the challenge was a temptation, and in turn, it would be the first hunt he had organized in a couple of years. Tuatha De had never strived long enough to hold one, nor had Neverwinter Forest. Swiftcurrent Creek, however, with its larger population would likely be able to take down an impressive beast -- something he would need to scout for. 'Perhaps after the birth of Njal and Tuwawi's children?" It seemed an ideal time -- the hunt would then feed the mother who would require the nourishment, and in turn, a litter of what was to be hoped were healthy pups.

His own curiosity arose as to why the regal before him had allowed the breeding to happen -- Njal was likely best fit due to his rank, and while Fox was young still, the agouti male did not doubt she had not even had her first heat. Given the amount of males within the pack, he could only imagine the chaos that would occur the moment it happened.. and given her feisty nature, he did not doubt she would do anything less than encourage it.

He was willing, and that was good enough for her. Scimitar took the order well, and even expanded upon it by suggesting a rough estimate of when it should happen. All good qualities, and Fox looked at him evenly. He was handsome, there was no doubt about that. Not handsome in the way a teenage girl might swoon over a TV star, but handsome in the way that he was built to withstand the elements, no matter what they might be. Then again, she might also just swoon at him like a teenage girl when he wasn't around... who knows?!

“Wise choice,” she replied, giving him a short-lived grin. “Have you been around for the raising of pups before?” she asked. There were other things that could be inferred from this question, and Fox was curious to know all of them.

He did not miss her stare, though his mind did not stray to the possibility that she was taking in his appearance and her opinion of it. Instead, her grey eyes burned in to him like the fire of her pelt's namesake. Maintaining a neutrality about him, the cinnamon wolf held his gaze to her cheek, not once challenging her by looking to her own silver gaze, and in turn, caught the grin that smoothed across her tiny features so easily. She was a mystery to him.

"Only the birth of my younger siblings and then a few in the packs I stopped by during my travels," he returned with a small shrug. At the time, his interest in pups had been fleeting -- they were cute, yet their razor sharp teeth upon his snout was something he could live without at the time, and in turn, had kept to duties such as hunting and fending the borders. A mercenary of sorts for months at a time, Scim had offered his services temporarily before leaving to his next destination.

Yet now, he had reached a prime age in his life, and the longing for a mate of his own and pups to pass along his name was something that burned in his chest -- somehow, he even craved the fresh scent of innocence that surrounded them as well -- the bitter tang of milk and warmth. Whether he gained that here, within the ranks of Swiftcurrent Creek, or a place elsewhere.. time had yet to determine.

"With Njal's mate due soon, I imagine I will have the chance to be more involved." That was.. if they let him near them at all.

So... that meant that Scimitar had not taken a mate. At least not one he had also managed to impregnate. Fox did not think that it would have changed her mind, but she was curious, and the fact that he had no children wandering about was comforting in a way. And his final comment only made her grin widen. “Well, when the time comes, you may get the chance for an even more personal role,” she said. “I will take a mate in the spring, no doubt, and you are one fine specimen.” That he was.

“Unless you’d rather be taken out of the running, of course.” Fox did not want a mate who did not want her at their side. Whoever he was, he would lead beside her. She would not have it any other way. They would be equals in every aspect of their life.

Her forwardness startled him – unfortunately, rather openly. He stopped for the moment, stilling in her presence as his eyes slid sharply to her features, avoiding her eyes but studying for any hint of a joke that might creep upon her lips.. whether in a twitch of a smile or a twitch in her jaw. Nothing.

There was a pause for a moment as Bazi’s words came back to him. “She seemed interested enough in you at the borders. You’re her type.” He had taken the words as light hearted teasing – never had it occurred to him that the Alpha of the pack would define him as a ‘fine specimen.’ And then, the mind wandered to the absolute lack of romance involved in those words, and for a moment, Scimitar was reverted a woman who felt almost scorned, as if someone had complimented him similarly to child-bearing hips.

Inhaling sharply, he dismissed the foolish and confused notions that suddenly swam in his mind. She was surely toying with him – or, simply looking for a partner that held absolutely no connection spare good genes. “Maybe I’m oldschool,” he began slowly, his voice hesitant so as to not accidentally insult her. “But don’t you want to know the man you take as a mate?” There was a pause then, and a small smirk slid to his creamy muzzle as he began to relax once more, despite the flash of a certain ivory female that guiltily slid in to his mind. “Have you never been courted, Fox?”

She couldn't help but grin at his shock. How could he not have known? Almost anybody with a dingus between their legs was a potential... at least in the beginning. His words foreshadowed what Cutthroat would ask her just days later, and they were not words she was unused to. Even Peregrine had spoken of the love between himself and Hawkeye. Her parents, too. But Fox? She operated on her eyes, ears, nose, and tongue. Those were her senses, not some wishy-washy "emotions" that plagued so many others. No, Fox believed she was beyond that.

“Nobody has dared to try,” she replied, unaware of Ferdie's attempts. Perhaps if he had come to her directly, bluntly, she would have understood, but he had done no such thing. Instead, he had simply brought her gifts and then sauntered off to sulk when she did not immediately melt at his feet. “And my parents barely knew one another when they had their first litter. But from the moment they became mates, they were inseparable.” She hadn't believed they loved one another, at least not on a romantic level, but she had seen through Peregrine that getting together based on love didn't always turn out great in the end, either. If anything Fox thought she was the oldschool one.

It seemed other nature took this moment as fitting enough to loose her tears upon the world – the sprinkle of rain that came now was indication it could worsen, and as his pelt dampened and curled slightly along his back, his eyes continued to regard her with weary hesitation. Scimitar might not have always made the wisest decisions, but he knew at that very moment to mention he found the Beta of the pack quite attractive would be a grave mistake.. perhaps not only for him, but for her as well. Not that the attraction was mutual – nor had it turned to anything more than he found her quite pleasing to look upon.

“Ask me again closer to your season if you decide I am still to your liking,” he murmured, his smirk fading in to a more serious note. She was young yet, and while she might believe no one dared attempt to court her.. she would be surprised when she grew further in to herself. “Though I daresay that if I am interested in remaining in the running at that time, you’ll know.” Because he would be damned if he stood aside and allowed the woman to flutter about his good looks and give him the option to chase her rather than making the decision himself.

The Creek was littered with suitors – it suddenly made much more sense now the amount of males within the ranks. It would surely be quite a spectacle of battle come time for the queen to breed.

As Njal and Tuwawi would attest, Fox did not interfere if two others wanted one another. It had been Fox who had wanted Njal. And perhaps if Tuwawi had not returned to him, she would have had him. Knowing that Scimitar fancied Bazi would have immediately crossed him of her list, though it would not have crossed him out of the creek. Sure, she would go through her jealous phase, but she had plenty to choose from, and it did not look as though the world was about to dry up of men anytime soon.

With the rain now coming down harder by the second, Fox blinked to rid her eyes of the droplets. He told her to ask him again in the future, and she nodded politely. In reality, she did not want to ask. She wanted to be told. Fox needed a strong, bold, forward partner; nothing else would do. But she did not say this aloud, nor did she discount Scimitar just yet.

“I’m going to get out of this rain before it gets any worse. Feel free to arrange a hunt whenever the pups are born.” With everything said that needed to be said, Fox took her leave.

The red female took her leave then – nodding in response to his words, and ushering an order that the hunt would occur after the birth of the pack’s pups. He watched her retreat then, heavy with his own thoughts now, and giving himself a light shake, the agouti male swung the opposite direction. He held no den, nor did he seek shelter against the rain.. instead, his ivory paws loped freely across the terrain, quickening in speed with each step until he was running, ridding himself of what had just transpired between him and the she-wolf he had agreed to follow.

It was not an unpleasant interlude – instead, it left him confused, and in turn, uncertain of what his path was now. But he had preparations to do, and as he skirted past the borders of the Creek, he began to scout the nearby lands, seeking the herds and noting the areas Swiftcurrent Creek wolves would hold the most success.