Shadowwyn Moor Bad blood

@Mawk Hi big brother! Meet past of sister. Set after this thread!

As he picked his way through the haphazard trees, a shiver of sick excitement went down his long spine. She was here somewhere. Somewhere close. He could feel it. His heavy paws made little sound on the snow as his pale eyes snaked over the ground and horizon. She had ran, and he had pursued. But she was a sly one. Slipping into a territory packed with wolves. It would take him a while to pick her scent out and follow it as the temptress winds through the other wolves. 
His crooked grin lit upon his face as he ran his black tongue over his beautiful incisors. Ears perked forward, he caught a scent of another wolf, strange yet familiar. Was it her? Or was it someone who had touched her? Either way, his lean, hulking frame surged forward, his mind thinking about two things: food and her.

insert eyes emoji

As a scout, he often wandered. Not too far - he was a man with ties to the land in which he resided, his family being the largest of these. He was not a yearling, free of rules and adventuring the land with a youthful curiousity. Much as he often wished to roam the Teekon and map the landscape he had yet to fully learn, he had chosen family and home over this, loyalty to Easthollow and his blood too strong for him to abandon. 

It was this that brought him to the Moor, black-tipped paws carefully trudging through the snow. It was only a short distance from the territory he lived within, and so he saw no harm in a gentle, calm wander. Perhaps when he returned he would bring with him a rabbit to add to the caches. And for now the wind did not seem to be in his favour, as he was unaware of the bulking shadow rapidly approaching.

As the large paws hit the snow, the slight crunching noise was almost inaudible as the pale eyes focused on the light colored male. He moved swiftly and silently, as a rattler after a mouse. Saliva hit the snow as it broke from his lips. Grinning, his ears swiveled forward as his tail twitched in anticipation of the wolf flesh.
Then he saw the tail, and it stopped him. He wasn't full wolf. Would it taste the same? Swallowing, he sniffed the air again. The stranger's scent was so familiar. It smelled like...her. Darting his eyes back and forth, he thought quickly. Maybe he would know who she was. Swinging his body out and around, he silently made his way quickly around the other male unobserved, he hoped. He let the wind catch his scent and waited.

The large man continued to traipse across the land with little intent, just a stroll to clear his head was often appreciated. If he was to continue working to ensure that his family was okay, continue filling the caches and uphold his daily duties of refreshing the borders, he needed to be able to think straight. Perhaps it during his state of thoughtfulness that the stranger caught up to him, for he did not notice until a scent passed on the wind to his nostrils. Instinctively the man's ears cupped forward and his amber gaze began to search for the unfamiliar face who claimed this odour. Indeed, it was one he did not know.

As he caught the light colored wolf in his line of sight, the black and white snake grinned, his eyes glinted in the sunlight. Just as quickly, his face changed into a friendly look. Relaxing his body into a neutral stance, he waited until he got closer.
He watched as the man searched for him. It wouldn't be long before he found the snake of a wolf, coiled to strike yet looking like an innocent face. He was still far enough away that the man could not make out the rise and fall of his chest. Impatient, he stood and shook. The snow flew off of his thick fur, as if trying to flee from his presence. Chuffing a greeting, he smiled and wagged his tail slightly.

At last, Mawk spotted the shadowed figure, and his fiery gaze remained trained warily on them for a few heartbeats. Of course, the Delta was cautious of all for many were not who they first appeared, this he knew from experience. Still, he padded slightly closer so that they were within speaking distance before halting his steps upon the ground coated in white. Perhaps he would be able to have a calm, relaxing conversation with another who would appreciate the same.

"Hello," The simple word, the greeting, fell from his ivory maw swiftly, in a neutral tone - the stranger, from what he could see in posture and expression, looked to be no threat but one could never be sure. He'd keep his guard up.

As the eyes of the male fell upon him, their eyes locked for a few moments. One spoke of a fiery passion for family, the other silently mimicked the icy snow underneath their paws. The snake almost grinned, but his self control bit it in the bud and smiled instead.
Hello, stranger. It is nice to meet another one. There are not many wolves that I have come across. My name is Lonzo. Sitting his thick body down, his excitement inside of him boiled up like a putrid liquid as he noticed subtle similarities between this one and his wife. His face and gaze remained friendly as a small soft laugh escaped his maw. Excuse my laugh. It's just been a while to come upon a friendly face.

The other man began to speak, and despite the tension Mawk felt prickle up his spine, he continued as though nothing was wrong. After all, he assumed it was his fatherly over-protectiveness that caused this silent response. "Nice to meet you, Lonzo. I'm Mawk." He would have given his full name as a formal response, but did not - this man had not given his last name, and so the Delta would mirror this. 

The laugh caused a quirk of his brow but he said nothing of it. "I have not seen you before, are you new in the Teekon?"

The name caused the snake to show his charming grin as he twitched his tail. He had heard it fall from her mouth before. The blackness of his soul darkened further as he held back a chuckle at the pure luck that he had run across the brother. Was her smell on him because they had come in contact or was it because they were related? Sniffing again, he was sure it was her smell. 
The curly tailed wolf spoke, and he nodded at him. I arrived a few days ago. It's beautiful here. If I find what I'm looking for, I might stay. It's a nice place to live, isn't it? His pale eyes focused on his for only a second before dropping them, mimicking the lower wolves that had stood before him many times.

He could see the twitch of the male's dark nose as he attempted to decipher something from Mawk's scent, and the Delta found his brows furrowing at the action. The words falling from the other man's lips had his black-tipped ears perk forward again, and a response left his own maw. Lonzo was new here, and he spoke of looking for something - and it sounded as though if he didn't find this thing, he would not remain here. Immediately this caught the father's attention but it did not show upon his features. "And what might you be looking for?"

He saw the man's brows furrow, and he wondered if he hadn't been quite subtle enough. He would have to work on that. This one was smarter than others he had come across. Twitching his tail, he put on a face of what others would call sorrow and aggravation, his ears dropping, his tail stilling against the snow. Making his voice tired, he paused as if he were contemplating telling, then spoke.
My...wife. We had a huge fight back home, and she had left in a snow storm. I found her once, but she wouldn't come back, said she needed time, so I dropped back and let her have her space, but I followed her scent here. To keep an eye on her..For protection, of course.
He huffed softly and shook his head as he shuffled his feet slightly. Inside, his black heart squeezed with anticipation. He had told the truth, but as always, he had twisted it. 'Some time'. She had said forever, but it wasn't much different. I know she won't like it when she finds out. She thinks she's strong, but she's...delicate...weak. I'm concerned about her. An almost concerned tone came into his voice. His mind thought quickly. This is what he would say if he actually cared...right? Looking up, he gave him a lopsided tired smile.

A look of sadness came upon the other's face, tail drooping and features darkening as if deeply sorrowful. For a moment Mawk almost regretted his previous suspicions, though he felt tingles of uncertainty from the next words spoken. A fight seemed relatively ordinary, couples had disagreements every now and then (though he couldn't help but feel proud that he and Cebra had not), but "I followed her scent here. To keep an eye on her..For protection, of course." This sentence caused a spark of dread. He told himself silently to relax, he did not know this wolf and for all he knew the woman could truly have been in danger when she departed. Still, it did little to ease his tension. "Surely it would have been better to allow her the space and privacy she wanted?"

Lonzo's next words seemed to confirm the fact that he loved his wife and only wished to protect her, but still Mawk found himself to be wary. "What was your wife's name, if you don't mind me asking? I could keep an eye out for her and let you know if I see her." On the outside, it appeared a genuine offer, and in most other instances it would have been genuine, but he was suspicious. Perhaps if he found this woman, he could ask whether she really wanted to return to her husband - if not, he would not make any mention of seeing her to this man.

As the wolf began to speak again, the wolf almost grinned, but kept his countenance as it was. Nodding at the statement, he sighed heavily as he spoke again. I should have. I was being...clingy to begin with. That is what started the fight. But I didn't want her to get hurt...in her state. His dark body almost shuddered with amusement, the lie he told filling him with delight, hoping it would cause a small rift if he asked who it was.
And ask he did. The beast didn't dare raise his head for a moment, as his eyes glinted with a twisted glee. Taking a deep breath, he looked straight into his eyes, a sense of innocence and concern replacing the dark joy. Her name is Onyx. Onyx Moralez. Have you met her?

Mawk kept an amber eye upon this dark male, his spine prickling with uncertainty. He was wary, even more so - perhaps simply for the wellbeing of this runaway woman, for the man seemed to be someone you would not want to get caught up with. "In her state?" He inquired, tilting his head as if to be ignorant of the hidden dangers this wolf seemed to present. The Delta was connecting the dots, perhaps making assumptions he should not, but either way this was a story he wished to participate in if only to help the girl. 

Onyx Moralez. The last name meant nothing to him, but the first struck a chord in his heart and caused him to bite the inside of his cheek. This was a different Onyx, right? Not his dear sister? No, she did not claim the last name of Moralez. Or did she? He supposed that was not something they had discussed, though Onyx had made no mention of having a mate. In fact... if she was the runaway woman, looking for escape from the dark man, then of course she would not mention him. She would not want to draw attention to herself. Oh. He desperately hoped it was not her.

"I don't believe so, though I could have met her without knowing her name. What does she look like?" Mawk inquired cooly, hoping for a description. He'd have to take a few risks and pry a bit further to discover what he could, but it was still likely it wasn't Onyx Saefyn. Right?

The snake watched the wolf as silence prevailed for a moment. As he tilted his head after asking the question, the man almost cocked his eyebrow. He knew better than to think this wolf didn't know what he was talking about, yet his eyes filled with fake concern, his tail wrapping around his body. She was..carrying my pups in her belly. That's why I followed her. She's vunerable right now. The lie slipped easily from his tongue, as it had so many times before. It had become part of him, the rush of getting away with it never growing old.
The wind seemed to stop as if to hear his next words, matching the quietness of the two males for only a moment before the mind of the blackened wolf created an idea. An awful, marvelous idea. He resisted throwing back his head and laughing, yet it was difficult. Almost eagerly, he opened his mouth to speak, choosing his next words carefully, the look of innocence still in his eyes. My nickname for my wife is Sunshine. It's as if her fur stole it off the sun. Her eyes are dark brown, as a shadowed tree deep in a forest. His soul waited anxiously for the reaction he wanted.

Last post for me? Feel free to call him back if you want to continue this thread!

At the words, whether they were truth or lies, his heart tightened, as though it was being squeezed by coiling snakes with venemous scales. Now, this couldn't be Onyx... right? She wasn't carrying pups. For a brief second the reptiles loosened their grip but then came the description of this mystery, runaway woman and back came the snakes with forked tongues that flicked against his chest at each thrum.

Mawk tensed, but made no visible action that would suggest this for one would have to possess a remarkable sense of sight to be able to spot the tiny movement. "I see." No, if this man was playing then the Delta would not allow him the satisfaction of seeing him gripped with concern. "I will keep an eye out for her, and let you know if there is any sign, when and if I see you again." 

With that, he would take his leave. He wished not to stay around here any longer, and so he rose from his haunches steadily. The man glanced at Lonzo, dipping his head in a farewell before turning to pad slowly through the snow and into the cover of the trees.