The morning held a slight chill as the rising sun bathed the world within it’s light, chasing the shadows of night back to their hiding places. Fiery, liquid golden eyes, with the slightest hint of blue around his pupils glimpsed up at the panoramic view of the mountaintop from his view atop the plateau. A soft smile tugged ever so slightly at the corners of the Phase boy’s lips as he played with the irony of the pack’s name. Dragonwatchers. It was fittingly appropriate, he thought. He was still very new to the pack, having been freshly accepted by it’s Alpha Female Koontz, of whose last name he recognized. Chances were he was probably very distantly related to the DiSarinno-Redleaf’s in some way or another. The complexity of the vast and intensely massive family tree that intricately tied the biggest family names together was confusing at best. Height had never bothered Saga, though he had never actually lived on a plateau or mountain of any sort before. He barely remembered much of his childhood, other than Nocturne and him traveled around a lot, and that his father had serious ‘daddy issues’; and that his “nanny” hated him. Saga deduced long ago that it was probably because Nocturne did not requite her feelings and that everyone suspected that Nocturne truly loved his (Saga’s) birth mother though he refused to speak about her.
Autumn was among them, it could be felt in the crisp chill in the air, in the changing colors of the leaves, a brilliance of colors, orange, brown, red, yellow…flowers wilted with the transition between summer and winter. Winter was coming. But there were a few months left until the barrenness of old man winter took hold and covered the lands in stark colors. For now, Saga enjoyed the colors and smells of Autumn, which was one of his favorite seasons. Not even the seasons could escape the cycle of life; of life and death. Nothing, Saga, presumed, was beyond mother nature’s reign.
Soft sigh escaped his lips as Saga pushed himself up into a standing position, shaking his smoky black coat, peppered with cinnamon and rust through his guard hairs once. He itched to make himself useful to Koontz and her Dragonwatchers -- which he supposed he was now apart of -- but his knowledge of the pack was lacking too much for him to dive head first in, guns blazing, so to speak.
Thoughts of pack relations consumed her attention presently. She had sent Two Face to Neverwinter to establish contact. Now she wanted to send scouts to the other packs. There was definitely another on the mountain over yonder and she knew of at least one or two to the northeast of the plateau. She hoped to strike a neutral if not friendly chord with all of them, save perhaps for whatever packs might harbor wolves like Vilocity and Two Face's nameless attacker.
Deciding to save the nearby pack for herself—surely she could spare a few hours to make the trip, since it wasn't far—the Alpha decided she must ask Curran and/or another volunteer or two to head to the more distant packs. With the decision made, Koontz rose suddenly and marched purposefully into the woods, intending to seek out her other Windwalker and whatever pack members might be interested in such a task.
She ran into the pack's newest member, Saga, first. "Hello, Saga. I hope you're settling in all right," Koontz greeted him, her ears pricking and her silvery tail twitching slightly upward as she regarded the Sigma. "Hey," she continued brightly, "would you be interested in doing me—and the pack—a favor? It will require traveling and talking to wolves from other packs." As she mentioned the last part in particular, she eyed him shrewdly, wondering if she could entrust him with this particular duty.
It was not entirely unexpected per say that he had found Koontz, or more accurately, she had found him -- not that he assumed she was looking for him, it was her pack and she was bound to be out and about more than most members -- but he hadn’t, likewise, expected to see her so soon after his acceptance. Then again, Saga could not claim that he was a know all when it came to the “standards” for packs because, firstly, most of them were different, and secondly, Saga had not really been in too many packs, and the few he’d been apart of Nocturne hadn’t stayed long enough to allow Saga the chance to observe and absorb. The idea of residing within a pack -- essentially a small family -- remained daunting to Saga, but the social conventions of his species left him wanting for it. Surely, it could not be that difficult, after all, wolves were known for being extremely social creatures.
Surprise colored Saga’s expression as he glimpsed at Koontz, regarding her for a few seconds as he submitted to her, and then promptly diverted his eyes because it was what was expected of him. Or at least, all the other Alphas did not like his staring from his brief experiences with them. Thusly, he applied it here, as well. “Hello, ma’am,” Internally, Saga grasped at straws as he tried to decide what to call her. Was Koontz too informal? Was ‘my Queen’ too formal? Was ‘ma’am’ too old, and ‘miss’ too young? He settled for “ma’am” because it seemed like the best one to use given his uncertainty. “Yes, I’m just,” Saga’s fiery, liquid gold eyes rose stared at her monochrome colored paws. “Enjoying the panoramic view the plateau offers, taking a little break from learning the layout of our borders.” He looked up, at the view he’d been taking in earlier, letting the landscape distract him, until Koontz spoke to him once more, that was. Her question took him momentarily off guard, he broke his nervous convention and looked at her in surprise, once more. “Me? I mean…of course. I will help out in any way that I can,” He had fighting skills as Nocturne was an accomplished fighter himself (having crippled Symphony once upon a time) and had passed on his knowledge, but there was much more to being a guardian (or it’s equivalent) than just physical fighting; and at the current point Saga was glad just to help out.
“What do you need me to do?” He inquired softly, ears thrusting forth on his skull to catch her words, and show that he was paying rapt attention to her.
Saga seemed a little taken aback, perhaps even overwhelmed, by her proposition. Wanting to reassure him, Koontz started by saying, "Call me Koontz." She smiled and twitched her tail. "And you don't have to do this. I won't hold it against you if you'd rather not. You're new and I haven't even given you a proper chance to settle in." Although he did seem eager and willing, she didn't want him to feel pressured or put on the spot. "Trust me, you won't lose any brownie points if you'd rather pass."
After he made it clear he was up to the challenge, Koontz's smile broadened, as did the sweep of her tail. "Awesome. Thanks in advance for taking this on so soon, Saga. What I'll need you to do is venture north and east of here. Try to figure out how many packs are now residing in the park. I don't want to overwhelm you with responsibilities, so I'll only ask that you approach one of these packs to extend a note of good will on behalf of Dragonwatchers. I'll have others work on the other packs, however many there are."
She paused to take a breath and allow Saga a moment to absorb everything. Then, she said, "Then report back to me with any information you obtain. I'd like this done as soon as possible, while the weather's still relatively pleasant. You don't have to set out immediately—definitely give yourself some time to get settled—but I'd love to have the information in the next couple of weeks. So, what do you say, Saga?" He wasn't a Windwalker—yet, perhaps—and she didn't know him well enough to gauge how he'd do but, in the spirit of trusting her pack mate, she was ready to bequeath him with this mission.
Koontz told him that he could address her by her name, as opposed to a title, and the Phase male offered her a soft smile which twitched at the corners of his lips, dancing across the muscles that lay beneath his smoky-black fur. “Alright, Koonz it is,” He spoke softly, “No, it’s ok, honestly. I want to do this…” Saga paused, salmon pink tongue roving across his bottom lip once, ears twitching slightly as he willed himself not to shift his weight and stand at attention in her presence. Despite that she was allowing him to address her as Koonz instead of a formal title, she was still his superior and she had his respect willingly, even though he did not know her hardly at all. “besides, have to prove I’m worth keeping around.” Saga teased her, a smile exposing his teeth as a soft, warm chuckle rumbled in the strong column of his throat.
“Alright,” Saga murmured thoughtfully, contemplating her words, whilst considering how one went about extending a, in Koontz’s words ‘note of good will’. After all, a task like this was pivotal, depending upon what words were used, how the offer was made it would either be graciously accepted or taken to be offensive. “Is there anything specific that you’d like me to convey? Specifically, what kind of ‘note of good will’ am I extending? An alliance? Or am I simply saying that we are peaceful?” It was understood by Saga that this was extremely important and that he wanted to rise to the occasion, not just for Koontz, but for all of Dragonwatchers. The last thing Saga wanted was to let her, or them down.
“I can set out as soon as you’d like me too. How does tomorrow sound? That gives me the day to explore around some more, find a den, and a long night of good sleep, which is all I need.” Saga considered, speaking his contemplation aloud so she might hear it and input her thoughts if she so desired.
Although she'd truly meant it when she'd insisted he wouldn't lose brownie points if he passed up the mission, what she didn't say out loud that he would score major points with her if he accepted. Already, Koontz considered promoting him out of the Sigma rank, if only for showing such initiative and grace under pressure. She decided against doing it just yet but fully intended to reward him with a promotion upon his return, no matter what information he brought back with him.
"No, we won't seek an alliance right off the bat," she answered thoughtfully, "but I want to make it known that Dragonwatchers doesn't want to make enemies of its neighbors. There's plenty of land and resources in this park, so there's no reason we can't get along or, at the very worst, leave one another entirely alone. If they express an interest in a formal alliance, we'll consider it once the packs get to know each other better. Specifically, I'd like to meet with the leaders themselves before I really consider something like that." That's what her parents would have done, Koontz felt sure.
Saga offered to leave almost imminently. "That would be great," she said, impressed. "In the meantime, I'd love to help you find a den for yourself. When we first founded the pack back in July, I hoped to establish a communal den. There's an area for it near the center of the plateau but, to be honest, nobody makes use of it. Personally, I tried keeping a den but ended up mostly spending my nights out in the open. I guess that will change once the weather really cools down."
Not that Saga had any indication that performing this task would earn him a promotion, but even if he had, it would have not the reason that he had agreed to take it on. It was taken on, despite his newness to Dragonwatchers, because Koontz had entrusted him enough without knowing him (to be honest) to ask it of him, and because simply put: it was his duty. All for One and One for All sort of deal. As Koontz replied to his inquiry, Saga let his eyes settle upon her, respectfully, and, with a bit of a sheepishness, admirably (she was appealing to the eye, he’d admit), ears alert as he took in her offered words, turning them over in his mind. Not to seek an immediate alliance; Dragonwatchers did not wish to make enemies; abundant resources for all to co-exist peacefully without stirring unnecessary drama over prey, etc; if an alliance is offered report it back to Koontz. The guidelines set before him were easy enough to remember, and he had the journey to contemplate the best ways to propose the message. It would have to be executed perfectly and formally…he would have to be intuitive with the wolf whom he spoke to for in that instance to come he would, temporarily, become a voice for Dragonwatchers. He could feel the weight of the pressure upon his broad shoulders as he contemplated her words with a pensive expression, nodding his head once to assure her that he understood. “One last question,” He interjected, wishing to voice it before the conversation regarding his mission came to a close. “What if I do not get a leader. I would prefer to speak with a leader directly to ensure my words don’t get twisted or vitally lost from the mouth of another,” He sighed, cringing slightly at the thought. “But if I don’t, I ask for the message to be passed along to their superior, correct? If so, should I encourage a meeting between you and said leader…or let it that?” Saga liked to have all transparent bases covered so he wasn’t taken off guard by unexpected surprises.
Especially with such delicate matters.
Koontz’s offer of helping him to search for a den was appreciated and he tried to show it with another smile. “Thank you,” He hadn’t expected it, either, but he supposed he could take advantage of the extended time frame that he was able to be one on one with Koontz to…get to know her a little better. “Perhaps I could be the first to use the communal den, then,” He said with an easy shrug of his shoulders. Truly, he wasn’t picky
or much at all like Nocturne, lol. “The nights are becoming colder,” Saga murmured in concurrence. “That wouldn’t be a bad idea, and with the communal den having at least me as a resident you could always soak up some body heat.” Only after he said it did Saga realize that it could have been taken the wrong way. “…I didn’t mean for that to sound…dirty or anything. I just meant…not that you’re not pretty…I’m going to be quiet now.” Saga shook his head at himself, wishing he had a filter between his brain and his mouth because that had been (and still was) extremely awkward.
"Come on," she invited, "I'll show you where it is." Saga continued speaking as they began to walk and the Alpha kept her head tilted toward him to indicate that she was listening. When he began to fumble over his words, she blinked at him, then cracked a smile when he said he would be quiet. She understood his embarrassment all too well, though it was unnecessary.
"Thank-you for the compliment, I think?" she teased lightly. "I probably will use the communal den at some point. I'm loving the fall weather, though. I think it's my favorite season." Koontz paused, her ears and whiskers quivering. "What about you? What's your favorite season? Tell me about yourself," she pressed, her hoary tail swaying in rhythm with her long-legged gait.
Saga sat in a non pressuring silence, waiting for Koontz’s instructions patiently, as she contemplated his inquiry. When she did answer him, time measured by a few of his heartbeats later, he listened raptly, tucking away her advice and instructions away inside his mind. “I understand,” He had been about to say ‘yes ma’am’ but thought better of it last minute, recalling their brief conversation moments before about him calling her Koontz. In introspect, Saga was as prepared for the journey and according mission ahead of him as he was ever going to be. He had the most important bases covered, the ones classified high as they were the ones that jumped immediate, to the forefront of his mind. As she invited him to follow her, as she took the lead to show him the way to the communal den, he followed easily, consciously making sure he was a few steps behind her at all times, though considering she was tall, like him, they could easily match pace. Still, she was his superior, and besides…he really had no clue where they were going anyway.
As he stumbled over himself like some nervous idiot, there was a moment in the darkest corner of his embarrassment that he wished a black hole would magically open up and swallow him whole. Unlike his father before him, he did not lack the smooth necessities when it came to the opposite gender. Probably because for a long time he’d been convinced they had cooties, and then once he’d grown out of that phase, he figured they’d all end up hating him like his “nanny”. Unfortunate for Saga, she was the only female he had to observe growing up. Obviously, it did him no favors. “Ah, well…you’re welcome,” Saga spoke breaking his embarrassed smile, though a small nervous chuckle escaped his lips as he shook his head at himself. He would not take back his compliment because as it was, he did think she was pretty, but her physical appeal was neither here nor there in the current situation.
Koontz admitted that she loved the fall weather, and spoke that it was her favorite season, she commanded Saga’s attention. Brows rose as a playful smirk pulled at the edges of the Phase’s lips. “Fall happens to also be my favorite season, too,” And to prove he wasn’t just saying that he continued with, “I like the color of the changing trees. Sort of like the colors last hurrah before the stark colors of winter take over and plants and things die as the frost and snow and ice consume it.” Perhaps it sounded morbid, but it was how he thought. “Plus I like how fall smells. It smells different, you know?” Saga let out another chuckle, softer this time. “Well…what do you want to know?” Saga inquired, knowing he would tell her whatever she wanted to know without trepidation.
While she rambled about her affinity for autumn, they arrived at the forest's center, where there was a dugout beneath the shadow of several large boulders. "It doesn't look like much," she said as she approached it, "but my brother, Ray, helped me dig down pretty far, so that there's sort of a tunnel that starts between these boulders and then opens up into an underground burrow. It'll be warm and dry, no matter the weather."
She lowered her head to sniff at the small furrow leading toward the subterranean entryway, then lifted it again and peered at Saga, wondering what he made of it. "It's really large inside. You'll have it all to yourself for now." Her lips twitched and then she abruptly switched gears back to the topic of Saga himself. "Well, where did you come from, for starters? I know you mentioned some basics when I accepted you but..." She sat with a flourish. "Now there's time for the full saga, I think."
At Koontz’s remark as to how he made winter sound, Saga could feel a soft smirk tug playfully at the corners of his lips. “It’s a stark beauty, don’t get me wrong. Winter wonderland and all that…but sometimes it is horrible. On the other side, Summer, too, can be horrible.” Saga spoke with a slight shrug. His ‘nanny’ had been a Skywatcher, and had taught him as much as knowledge regarding weather that she thought he could absorb (which wasn’t much, she had a habit of severely underestimating his intelligence). “As if the fires of the setting sun had set them alight…” Saga mused thoughtfully, trailing off of her words of trees/bushes turning flaming red. “Yes, I agree.” He finished as they continued forth.
Saga followed her the entrance of the communal den, slowing to a stop as she approached it and spoke to him a bit about it. “I’m sure it’ll be fine, I’ll only get to spend a night in it until I come back anyway,” A den was a den to Saga. “I probably will add a few personal trinkets to a corner I choose…just to make it feel homey, though.” While Saga did not foresee Koontz having any sort of big deal about it, he wanted to forewarn her just in case. It was always better to ask permission first then to get into trouble for it later…though Nocturne had not precisely been an devoted practitioner of this, it was a moral Saga had picked up from some strange wolf or another in their flights between packs. At her little quip about having time for the full ‘saga’, the Phase male let out a chuckle. “I was born somewhere in Seahawk Valley…I don’t know where, and I don’t remember my mother. I guess she died giving birth to me but my father, Nocturne Phase, never spoke of her. We traveled from pack to pack, me, my dad, and my nanny, but uh, we never stayed long.” Saga spoke softly, settling upon his haunches, feeling a slight breeze ruffle the raven black hairs along the strong curve of his spine.
"Do you think you'll be able to stay in one place for long?" she wondered innocently, though it was a valid question, coming from his new Alpha. She didn't want Saga to grow bored of Dragonwatchers and leave on a whim, especially if he was unused to the rigors of pack life. "Perhaps you'd be happiest as a Windwalker, free to roam the park as you please. After you get back from your mission, you'll be particularly qualified," she noted, the same breeze ruffling her grayscale nape.
"Want to take a look inside? You can pick which corner you'd like and maybe I'll pick another, for whenever I'm ready to start using it," Koontz quipped, tossing him a quick smile and then crouching down to enter the underground den.
Koontz’s question regarding his ability to sink his roots into a single place, in this case it was logical to assume that she meant Dragonwatchers, was innocent, though warranted given his upbringing. Saga understood the concern, if he were in her place, it would have been something he’d have asked. Saga was quiet for a few moments, considering her question with the weight and seriousness that it deserved. “I did not like being uprooted every few months or so. I wasn’t able to make friends, really, and I feel like my father was limiting my potential by uprooting me from the mentors I had taken to learning from,” Saga wasn’t sure if that made sense to her, or likewise, to anyone other than himself. “Don’t get me wrong, there’s a unique sort of freedom to living as a nomad but it also very lonely. When I came to these lands, I came in search of a home. A real home.” Saga mused in a soft confession. Some wolves were born to be loners and there were those that were born to be apart of the family structure of a pack. Saga was not his father, did not harbor his intense anger and did not loathe most company as Nocturne had.
Koontz suggested about him taking on a Windwalker job -- which he surmised to about a scout --
it certainly ran in his family, both Symphony and Nocturne were scoutsand Saga gazed at the trees thoughtfully. “I’ll consider that, thank you.” He had some time to think about it, after all. “Sure,” Saga spoke in reply to her offer, giving her a few seconds so he didn’t accidentally bump into her or something else equally as embarrassing. After all, he had embarrassed himself enough for a single day; there really was no need to add to it. After about seven heartbeats, he crouched down and followed her, slipping inside the den behind her. The burrow itself was large enough to house a number of them -- which was likely why it was made to be a communal den. Saga, conscious of Koontz’s position, made to move around her, heading to the furthest corner to his right. He sniffed once at the earth, before he scratched a little against the earthen floor to mark his spot. “Consider my spot claimed,” The scratch would have to suffice before he could decorate his little corner with odds and ends of trinkets. He turned to face her, searching for her silhouette in the dark.
"It's all yours," she replied with a smile. "I think I'll take this spot," she added, shuffling to the same side of the den, albeit nearer to the doorway. "I'd be most comfortable in the back, maybe across from you... but I figure a good Alpha will always put herself between the big bad world and her pack mates, right?" she quipped, her tail twitching and brushing against one of the earthen walls.
"Do you mind if I continue playing twenty questions?" Koontz asked after a moment, still wanting to get to know Saga better. "What would you consider your greatest strength? Something you like best about yourself?" She paused and added, "And, of course, what is your greatest weakness and the one thing about yourself that you'd change if you could?"
Saga’s eyes followed Koontz’s movements as she moved to the same side of the den as he did, though she claimed the spot nearest the ‘door’ as hers. A soft noise, contemplative, slipped from betwixt Saga’s lips as Koontz’s words of putting herself between the world and her pack touched his ears, which twitched forward to show that he was being attentive. “I think that could go either way, Koontz. A pack can also stand against the world for their Alpha.” He said, offering her a sheepish sort of shrug afterwards. While Saga could not entirely speak for anyone else, he knew that if Koontz was truly the Alpha that Saga saw and felt she was, that he would willingly stand between her and anything that threatened her. That door could swing both ways, he thought.
“Not at all,” Came Saga’s swift reply to her inquiry regarding ‘twenty questions’. “My greatest strength, physically, I am a capable fighter, my father taught me well. I don’t know how to say this and sound modest but…I like that I’m compassionate. It’s not a trait that I share with my father, or even my nanny,” Saga let out a soft snort, shaking his head in the dark of the communal den. Indeed, Saga probably took after his grandfather: Symphony, or his Grandmother: Ever; or maybe a Phase relative he’d never met; or maybe even his unknown mother. All he did know was that he wasn’t much like Nocturne at all (besides regarding combat skills) and Saga had always felt that had been a major disappointment to Nocturne. “My social skills, for both. With only my father and nanny, who hated me for some reason, as company most days didn’t give me a lot of social interaction.” Saga admitted with a sweeping shrug of his broad shoulders. So, he wasn’t well known for his extroverted thinking skills. Everyone had something they were awkward, or downright horrible at, and the Phase was no exception.
He cited his greatest strength to be his fighting abilities and his compassion. His social skills seemed to be his greatest shortcoming. Koontz tilted her head at this, because she actually found Saga quite pleasant. Twice just now, he mentioned a nanny who had apparently not been the greatest influence on him as a youth.
"Your nanny hated you?" Koontz repeated, her brow furrowing. She hadn't had a nanny or a formal sitter as a pup; her elder siblings had looked after her as necessary. Their upbringings really could not have been more different. "Why?" she asked simply, frowning fully now at the thought of a little boy being hated by very wolf who should have been looking after him with care and compassion.
Saga launched into an explanation of the bitter history with his sitter and, beyond that, Koontz learned quite a bit about her newest recruit. By the time their conversation drew to a close, she truly hoped that Saga would be sticking around for a long time to come. But, reminding herself that he needed to settle in and get some rest, she eventually excused herself and exited the den. Her mind still churned over the subject of inter-pack relationships but she felt significantly more satisfied on that front than just a few hours ago, knowing that she could trust Saga—and the others—to come through for her.