Noctisardor Bypass Stop posting the eyeballs -- if you don't stop I'm gonna take them away from you

To the borders again. Patrols weren't going to do themselves and she had probably spent less time making sure the northern borders were well-tended than the south. But it also made sense that would be the case as more wolves lived south than north. She had just finished walking a portion near one of the more clifflike sections and now the mouth of the bypass stood at her shoulder. Perhaps she would walk that way next, to see whether there was anyone to recruit.  But not right now.

She didn't see anyone in that instant so she looked away, scraping at the snow here where there as no trees to leave a calling card on. Arbiter then continued on, cutting a rut into the fresh snow, pausing only where a moose had passed through hours earlier. It was a calm day, without snow other than what was on the ground already. Perhaps it would encourage her travels.

Instinct was all that kept him away from those forming borders. The coywolf was not too sure whether it was a true border or if it would take more time yet to form, and he nervously licked his lips as he stood and watched the stranger in the distance. Curiosity drove the young coywolf there, large coyote-like ears flopped forward as he approached. He tried not to be noticed, though Charles was too inexperienced to manage such a feat; he was very likely to be seen by the patrolling wolf as he slowly, carefully and tentatively approached the pack's borders, unclear whether his intent was to drop by for a visit, invade or simply observe and steer clear of it in the end.

There was no question when Arbiter saw him -- there was a shift in her posture, her pace as she headed towards him along the outskirts. These lands were hers and that is how she moved. She was not going to let someone unknown pass by so close while she knew about it -- it would be improper, it would weaken her claim.

She was far enough away at this point that scent clues would be hard to read -- she needed to get closer to be able to tell, but even now her nose twitched for clues. The thing on the top of her mind was that they needed recruits, but if this turned out that was not to be, she was keen to get whatever advantages she could gain. As always. Whoever it was seemed young, but perhaps it was just the oversized ears that made him seem that way. Time would tell. As she approached, she called out, This is Legion. What do you seek?

Patrols were hard for Pheiros, despite how badly he wanted to be better at them. It wasn't really the work that bothered him, it was the fact that he was often alone when he was on one. It was a long time to be alone, and he would start to get bored or his mind would start to drift to things that made him sad; that was usually the time he called it quits, vowing to return the next day and pick up where he left off. Unfortunately, this meant that he covered far less ground than an older, more efficient pack member. 

Speaking of efficient, today he had come upon Arbiter's scent while attempting today's patrol. His tail began to wag, and he excitedly started to track her down. Maybe she would let him join her, and then he could cover more ground today and maybe ask her more questions. He wasn't so great at tracking either, so it took him quite a while to find the leader. When he did finally make his way to her, he increased his speed, trotting exuberantly forward until he saw the stranger. He froze for a few seconds, smile fading from his face to be replaced by a more serious but curious expression. He took a few steps forward, Arbiter's words reaching his ears as he moved. He stopped at her side, careful to hang back just a little to show that she was definitely the one in charge. His murky gaze traveled from stranger to Arbiter a few times before finally settling on the boy. He wanted to know what he was doing here too, so he waited quietly for an answer to the leader's question.

Don't pee, don't pee, don't pee, Charles kept repeating to himself as he closed in slowly but surely, with cautious steps. He wasn't too sure why he had such an innate desire to pee on these lands as the scents drew closer to him. Maybe it was because everything about this wolf screamed that she would get him for it. Maybe he wanted to be gotten. Maybe he missed mother's rough punishments before she completely avoided and ignored him. Maybe he wanted some affection, even if it was negative. Maybe he missed Riley. Oh, what the heckin' heck, of course he didn't. Don't be a sissy, Charles. But. But also don't pee.

It wasn't that long until the woman noticed him, and her posture changed. Charles froze in that moment for but a moment, licked his lips nervously. Legion, this was. What's a Legion? he asked as he came a little bit closer, large ears folded back and his body low and submissive instinctively. He stopped in his tracks again as he saw the other wolf draw nearer to the female and apprehensively stayed there, not sure whether it was wise to tread closer to the pair.

One ear turned as Pheiros approached at rather the same time. She briefly took her gaze off the stranger to acknowledge him, but then it was back to the other boy. His submission appeased her -- or at least did so enough that she didn't push the matter, it wasn't like Arbiter was big on being relaxed at the borders. Arbiter thought this may be a good situation for Pheiros to learn as well, but only if the opportunity arose -- but first she needed to know a thing or two...

A legion can be an army. But this one is my pack. Was he from Easthollow? She thought maybe she could smell the familiar mix of scents that made that pack but she wasn't entirely sure. She wasn't exactly walking up close and sticking her nose in his fur, and they were much farther away now. There was, however, one very clear assumption she could make, You are far from wherever you're from. He hadn't really answered her earlier question, but Arbiter understood at least some of the naivety  -- or innocence, something along those terms -- of the younger wolves now. Instead she would see if his response to that told her anything.

Pheiros straightened up as tall as he could as the stranger asked his question, hoping to look tougher than he actually was. In all honestly, he wasn't sure he could actually fight with someone. But he did want to help Arbiter protect the bypass, so maybe he'd need to figure out a way to get past that. Arbiter's voice brought him from his thoughts, and he realize he should probably be paying attention and not over-thinking the way he felt about things. He listened quietly while she finished explaining what Legion was, taking in her posture and they way she spoke and committing it to memory. Then his attention returned to the stranger, watching his expression as he waited to see what he would say in response to Arbiter's explanation.

The woman who had seen him initially spoke, and Charles' gaze shifted nervously between her and the other wolf, who looked very tough. Charles was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to take him on (nor would he be able to take on the woman, or anyone, really -- life had taught him that much so far) but then again, he wasn't planning to try anyway. His tail twitched nervously between his hind legs and he licked his lips as he looked up at the woman. A legion is an army -- but this was her pack.

She said that he was far from wherever he was from, which was true enough to the mind of a wolf as young as Charles was. He nodded. I am. Was just exploring. He shifted his weight from paw to paw, not really sure what to do or say next; he hadn't exactly learned a lot about how to have a conversation or meet new wolves at all. The only wolves he really knew in his pack were his brother, who'd left, his mother, who'd left, and then Kaito and Leta. Charles felt a pressure on his bladder but talking helped, as it kept his focus on something else and his nerves in check at least a little bit. He wondered: Is your pack an army? Because she had said that a Legion is an army.

An interesting question, and her response was brief albeit somewhat vague, Should our neighbors remain peaceful, there is no need for it to be. If they didn't, things would change, but that would mean things were changing in multiple places, so that wasn't exactly unsurprising. She didn't think that the wolves native to her were the sort who much wanted a real army. Instead, she built some sort of hybrid and if fate decreed it needed to be, so it went. Either way, she wasn't inviting trouble.

I am Arbiter. She then looked to Pheiros, partially to see if he wanted to introduce himself, but also because at this point she was inviting him to come interact as well. The other youth didn't seem to be up to no good or anything, so though she might not be relaxing entirely, she'd slack the reins a little.

Pheiros had never thought of them as an army; he sure wasn't someone who belonged in an army. The idea made him a little nervous. And it sounded like Arbiter thought they were, too, even if just as needed. He needed to learn more than just patrolling then if he was going to be able to contribute. He had remained dutifully quiet up until this point, not wanting to do or say anything wrong. But when Arbiter gave him the silent okay to move up and partake in the conversation, he forgot he was supposed to look serious for a few moments and let his tail wave excitedly behind him. He moved forward to stand more next to Arbiter than behind her, remembering to be serious once face to face with the stranger. He straightened up again but offered the other boy a small smile. I'm Pheiros. The other boy was younger but not a whole lot younger. He could be a potential new friend as long as Arbiter deemed him not an enemy, a thought that made the golden youth very happy. Friends were always good.

Charles wondered if it was meant to be threatening, the way she said that they would not be an army if their neighbours made it not necessary. But then again, did it matter? Wasn't like he had any impact on that, anyway. Oh, he just said, unsure of what else to say about that, and a little intimidated at that. She introduced herself as Arbiter, and the other as Pheiros. Charles hadn't given him a good look until now, and wondered what was up with his ears. Did they never uncurl? He didn't ask, because he knew that he was freakishly eared himself and he didn't necessarily need anyone to ask him why his ears were so large either. Some ears were just different than other ears, he supposed.

Charles, he said to them, and he glanced back towards Easthollow. From the stone circle.

Arbiter was threatening just by nature. It wasn't like she did so purposefully in this case, to her it was just a fact -- there were better things for her to do than to shift a pack into an army, but if she needed to, she knew how. She would do what was most needed to keep her wolves safe and comfortable.

From Easthollow then, she confirmed, looking to Pheiros, as she was sort of clarifying for him. She didn't know if he had known enough about them to know that was the territory name. Back to  Charles, We were at Lost Creek before. Has prey returned there as well? Look, Arbiter was always all about business, but at least her questions were easy to answer. There was plenty of room for Pheiros to speak as well. She knew that her son had planned to go with him back to the creek when things seemed safe... That would probably be soon.

He had never heard of stone circle before, and it showed in the way that his eyebrows pulled together in confusion. Arbiter then clarified, calling stone circle Easthollow. It maybe sounded familiar but he honestly couldn't remember. Arbiter seemed to know the place well and from the question that she asked next, he gathered that it was close to their old home. His ears perked as much as they could while he waited for the answer. He was eager for any information about the Creek or the areas near it. He wasn't sure what it looked like now or how safe it was, and he wanted to gather as much information as possible. He'd hate to get he and spook in trouble when the went back or get Spook hurt while they were there. He liked that Arbiter trusted them to go on their own, and he really didn't want to do something to make her regret it.

sorry for the wait

Charles shifted his weight between his front paws, feeling uncomfortable still in the presence of these wolves, even though they seemed okay. He was simultaneously disappointed -- because he craved the punishment -- as well as relieved -- because he really didn't want to die. Anyway -- Charles nodded when she said Easthollow. He had trouble remembering the word sometimes. The stones were just an easier way of describing his home.

He hadn't heard of Lost Creek before, wasn't sure where it was at. Dunno if it returned there. He hadn't traveled very far from home very often. This was some of the farthest he'd gone. It was nice to be outside. It was dangerous, but he liked that. It was still better than being with his numb mother who didn't care about him or about anything.

Charles could feel his welcome running out and felt like he was overextending, but part of him liked that. Made him feel some sense of control, even if it was sorta false. But it was something. Better 'n nothing.

She wasn't sure what to think of this youth. Badly socialized perhaps? But that seemed particularly odd for Easthollow, which as far as she knew was fairly family oriented. So what had happened to Charles to make him seemingly such an odd duck? Perhaps she'd think of it sort of as a puzzle later. Either way, he had a hell of a time trying to keep a conversation going. She wasn't sure if he wanted to leave or what was up.

And the answer he gave wasn't exactly the most useful either. So if he wasn't just a budding scout, why was he here? The lack of logic bugged her more than anything. So she asked a question that might give her a few answers, whether he realized it or not, Why do you wander so far from home? And she also looked again to Pheiros, a roll of her shoulder suggesting that was probably about her last question. If he had any to add of his own, he should do so soon.

This guy didn't have many answers, something that, honestly, made Pheiros a little anxious. He couldn't imagine walking up to some random pack's borders with no reason and no real answers to any of their questions. He rarely did anything out of his routine without at least an entire day of painful overthinking. He studied the boy, curious about him despite his off-putting demeanor. He kind of wanted to know more about him, but he knew now was not really the time, so he pushed the interest away, focusing on Arbiter and her new question instead. He had nothing else to ask that was really productive, so he looked back to Charles. He wondered what his answer would be this time? Something vague most likely, but he waited with genuine interest anyway.

The wolves did not seem to turn against him even though he did not have an answer to their question. This entire meeting felt rather awkward, but it was a feeling that did not necessarily reflect badly on Charles' feelings. He saw that it was there and he accepted it. After all, he did not ever need to see these wolves again if he did not want to.

He looked at floppy eared boy and then back to the other wolf when she asked him another question. It did not feel to him that he was that far from home, but then, he didn't really remember how far he had walked. Instead of answering, mostly because he did not have any answers, Charles deflected with a question of his own. Is that a bad thing? He did not sound defensive, but rather inquisitive in a slightly nervous way. Nervous with the anticipation, unsure how they would react, and if it was a bad thing, what they would have to say about him doing it.

She didn't know what to think of him. Every time she thought she'd figured him out, he said something else she didn't expect. Arbiter wasn't sure if that made her impatient or just too used to the same old thing. Maybe, maybe not. A quick glance to Pheiros to see if he thought that Charles' response was as odd as she thought it was.

But again, he hadn't really answered the question, had he? You're free to seek your own future. If that's what you're looking for out this far, that might not be bad. Easthollow didn't seem like a place that would want their children wandering, even if they were on the cusp of adulthood. So bad to whoever his parents were. A tilt of her head, But the world isn't always kind. There are wolves out there who would be happy to kill you. There were some who were killed a few months ago. Did you hear about it? She doubted he was one of them, but he was more likely to become a victim if he kept asking so many questions that seemed obvious.

He answered her question with a question of his own. He did think it was weird, and when Arbiter glanced to him, she would definitely see that in his expression. He was a strange one, for sure, and Pheiros had his doubts as to whether or not any answers he did offer them would even be truthful. 

No, exploring wasn't bad in and of itself, but he was young and on his own, which was dangerous as Arbiter was quick to point out. She mentioned the murdered wolves and flashes of his murdered father assaulted his mind. Of course, he didn't think it was related, but it was just another reminder of how dangerous things were out there on your own. 

Speaking of, he wondered: Maybe someone should go back with you, he suggested with a glance to Arbiter. He wasn't sure she would agree or approve, but weird or not, it wasn't really safe for him on his own.

Charles didn't receive a proper answer to his question. He canted his head, and then frowned. The scary wolf said that it was dangerous to be out alone, and he blinked as if he didn't quite understand. Up until the point she got to the fact there were wolves out there who were being killed, though. He knew that his aunt Indra had died, but he didn't know about killed. Mother never wanted to talk about what had happened, so he didn't know.

My aunt died, he said, which wasn't really an answer, because he didn't know if she had died from being killed or just.. something else, he supposed. And my brother went away, but I think he was just sick of us. Charles licked his lips as he realised that might not have been a desireable thing to say. He wondered in that moment whether Riley was maybe killed, too.

The boy with the funny ears offered to come with him back home. Oh, he said as if he hadn't really thought about it, and he shook his head. If you want to. There was no value offered in Charles' tone, nothing that said whether or not he would prefer the boy to accompany him.

She didn't know who his family was, and it was uncertain whether that would have changed anything. Maybe. Maybe not. But shall we say Arbiter did not think highly of Laurel. And oh so many wolves were unreliable... Then you know what things are like. But the question is, as always, what is it that you want to do with your future? Would it be enough to make him actually give a straight answer? Probably not. But if it made him think, perhaps that was progress.

She still couldn't figure him out. Charles had shook his head but said something else. This child -- for certainly no adult would act this way -- was so indecisive that he'd probably shrug if offered food. She frowned at him, but it vanished as she turned back to Pheiros, Did you want to escort him? If so.. Then would you need someone to return with you as well? A slight tip of her head at this nice little puzzle. Not quite that one moving stuff across the river puzzle, but it did introduce another thing. She wasn't really shooting the idea down, more asking him to think about it and suggest a full solution if that was what he wanted. The pack didn't exactly have the full ranks of warriors that she might have hoped for personally, but eh. It was an opportunity for growth for the gold yearling, potentially.

What a sad life this boy had already had. But then Pheiros's hadn't been any better. His mom had left before he was even old enough to know her and his dad had died when he was just old enough to really appreciate him. So he was no stranger to how difficult life could be. He did think it was odd how nonchalantly Charles told them these things. It was a little creepy if he was being honest. He was vague again when Pheiros suggested that he shouldn't travel alone, which was expected at this point in the conversation. 

And there was Arbiter to call him out on his lack of planning. He had just offered the words impulsively, the caregiver coming out in him and making him worry about the strange wolf being alone. But she was right. Of course she was right; she was older and far more intelligent than Pheiros. He clearly hadn't thought far enough ahead to realize that unless a third wolf traveled with them, he would be alone on his way back. But he had been the one to make offer, and so he would be one of the wolves to go. Yeah, I don't mind going, he answered first, even though the thought of traveling any distance with charles kind of made him uncomfortable. What would they even talk about? As for who would go with them, he glanced kind of sheepishly to Arbiter. Um, maybe you could come with us? was that the correct answer? He would certainly feel better if she came with them, but he was also sure there were a few vital details he was probably not seeing. He had considered suggesting Spook first, because he always looked for reasons to spend time with his friend, but then he realized that he might be putting him in danger, and that wasn't okay. So he settled on Arbiter. To him, that seemed like the best option.

What do you want to do with your future? Nobody had ever asked Charles a question like this. Nobody had ever wondered what he would want his future to look like. Heck, he didn't even remember anyone ever asking him What do you want to do, right now let alone a grand question such as the one that was posed. It was intriguing but Charles was also conditioned not to think about that stuff too much. It wasn't that he was a puppet who just followed whoever lead, no; he simply did what he wanted, or, well, that wasn't entirely true either. It was perhaps more like he was a ship without a steering wheel who just swayed left and right on a stormy sea. Whatever it was, it was definitely a complicated matter.

He just kinda stared at Arbiter zoned out as he tried to think of what he wanted and came up completely empty, then blinked. Just as he wanted to open his mouth to speak, she had moved on to the next subject and questioned her counterpart on who would return with him. Charles watched as they conversed. He felt it was way too much fuss over his head, but he also didn't really want to say no because they seemed pretty set on the escort. Eventually he said, way too late, I don't know what I want. An answer to a question that may have already passed their minds. An answer they might just apply to the current situation rather than the previous one. But it was the only thing he could think to say.

She nodded to Pheiros. She was starting to have some serious doubts about whether Charles had any ability to actually get back to Easthollow without walking off a magically appearing cliff. He was far more directionless than any other wolf she'd met. She'd been pondering her response when he spoke again, and that pretty much confirmed her thoughts.

For the most part Arbiter's expressions were usually subdued. But indecision was something that wore at her patience, which was now awfully threadbare at this point. Her words were more terse now, You should figure that out. It'll make your life easier, and everyone else's. Probably happier too, if it matters. But right now I don't know if you want an excuse to not go home, or if you do need an escort. So please, tell me what it is you're wanting, so we can do something conclusive instead of waffling about. Did he have that capability? Could she actually force him into saying something concrete? Please let it happen so she could stop feeling like he wanted her to mentally go in circles.

Arbiter didn't seem to disagree with his suggestion, which was a relief, but he could tell she was growing irritated with Charles, and wow was he glad he wasn't the one on the receiving end of her curt words. He could understand her frustration with the boy; how could he not know what he wanted? Pheiros could understand being indecisive about things, but like, he was standing on their borders, and they were offering him help getting home if he wanted it. Shouldn't he at least be able to figure that out for himself?

But again, he was glad not to be the source of Arbiter's frustration, and he definitely wasn't going to say anything after her. She was kind of right, anyway. They were all just standing here, going in circles and wasting time and all because Charles had wandered up on their territory. So, he really hoped he could up with something better to say than to tell them he didn't know what he wanted. His murky green gaze shifted between the two of them nervously. He had no idea what would happen next.