Snowforest Taiga You fell asleep again

Scimitar! Possibly a joining thread for NP, but we'll see.

After finding out about the peak pack and its (persumed) demise, Tryphon had skeedaddled. He didn't feel comfortable being in the presence of Kaskara, Scimitar, or the child that followed after him - it all felt so strange. So much time must have passed while he had been out doing his own thing; and to think, he wasn't there when everyone needed him (when Bazi needed him). So he sulked, because that was what a Sveijarn did best (even if he didn't know he was a Sveijarn). He sulked and brooded and stuck to the edge of the new rendezvous site while the peak wolves pieced their lives back together - because, well, what else could he do?

They would be moving soon. Bazi and Pasha had found their way to them, and with the thick scent of smoke still filtering the air, Scimitar was loathe to look upon the ruins of their home any longer.
 
There was one extra scent though – the skulking yearling who tended to come and go as if he were no more than a ghost. Tryphon had never aided the pack during his sporadic stay with them.. and yet, like a leech, the boy skirted around the area they had temporarily settled.
 
Scimitar trusted the boy about as far as he could throw him,  but they also had five puppies to look after under the careful eye of only four adults.. and no home. Brushing forward, the cinnamon wolf sought out the silver youth once more, this time, his gaze hardened.
 
He found Tryphon, and with the curl of his li, the regal thrust his muzzle upward to full height – igniting his power of Alpha, despite the fact his land had been set ablaze. “We’re leaving to find a new home. If you’re coming with us, then you better know I will not tolerate your flighty nature any longer. You're either with us, or you’re not.” This was it – if the boy could not commit.. they would leave without him. If he committed and left.. it was his last chance.

The land was burning, and all that Tryphon could think about was how pleasant the smell tasted to his nose. It was a vile thought, one that filled him with some guilt, but a private one. He strayed to the edge of the group and watched the burning sky, but his attention drifted when he saw an approaching figure. Scimitar did not seem pleased (but then, who would be pleased in this situation?) and as he assumed the posture of an alpha, Tryphon shrank.

What came out of the leader's mouth was something Tryphon did not expect. He wondered if maybe Scimitar would drive him off, question him for his back-and-forth behavior, or simply kill him - but instead, he offered another chance. "I don't know what to say." The boy muttered, an apologetic look slipping across his yellow face. He knew he didn't deserve this. "B-but I want to help you, and Bazi." He added hastily, lest Scimitar take his reluctance as an answer. "I promise I'll stick around. I swear it."

He swallowed the lump in his throat, and averted his gaze from Scimitar's agitated face. Tryphon's attention drifted to thoughts of their future. "Where will we go?"

The youthful wolf pledged himself – and while Scimitar was in no position to deny a wolf within his ranks, he also no longer trusted his word. He spoke nothing of the matter – his eyes burned in to the face of the male before him, as if a silent promise was spoken just then.. that if Tryphon abandon them once more.. he had best not show his face again.
 
He relaxed slightly then, his gaze drifting away to study the horizon, and to allow his comrade to ease in his presence. “We will travel until we find a satisfactory home. Do you know of a place from your travels?” If the boy wanted to be of use, now was certainly the time – but either way, the cinnamon olf wanted to be well on their way soon.. and far away from their destroyed dreams.

He swallowed again, and thought hard. The boy hadn't been too far from Nova Peak at any time, really. But with the added pressure of Scimitar's scrutiny upon him, he felt like he had to say something - do something - to be of use. "If we head directly east, we'll be in the ice. Further north would probably take us all out of the wilds, if that's what you want -" he didn't look up as he spoke, but there was a slight hitch in his voice, a pause in case Scimitar wanted to voice concerns. He continued a moment later.

"I don't know what is in the south. I've seen a large string of mountains in the distance, I think, but that's all." He wasn't so grand a traveler after all. Just a lonely kid who was constantly drawn back to the glacier, although he'd not figured out why. They could head east - but the thought of living among the ice and snow gave him more chills than he could explain. Tryphon shrugged. "I could keep looking, if you want." It would keep him out of the pack's way, but also be an invitation for Tryphon to run off again - so he doubted that suggestion would go over well.

The options seemed lacklustre. Leaving Teekon Wilds could have always been an option, but the roots they had were here.. And he was loathe to pull his children from that. Keeping along the North could prove to become crowded.. "South is not an option. We have enemies in the South."

He sighed then, giving a shake of his muzzle. "No," he declined, regarding whether the silver wolf should scout ahead. "We stick together."

Enemies? Tryphon's head tilted slightly at the word, but he didn't say anything. It was strange to think that the tiny family pack could have any enemies, but maybe the south was filled with a different kind of wolf. Tryphon wasn't too interested in going south anyway, so he gave a small nod-shrug combo filled with awkwardness, and tried to think of another option. 

"-we stick together." Scimitar said, and the tone of the older beast's voice made Tryphon worry more; he sounded tired, almost defeated. They'd survive this, though. All they needed was a new home and there were options, they just had to be sought out. "Ok." was all he said as a response, before falling in to a somber silence; what else could he say?

"If the south has... Enemies.." The boy started to think and speak, which surely wouldn't end well, "Do we have friends anywhere at all? I think there's a pack in the ice somewhere we could... I dunno... Ask for a few days to rest with them, if we have to?" In the long run, they'd need their own territory; but the pack as a whole was pretty beaten down by the fire. Tryphon thought of Tyrr, but didn't go in to detail - he wasn't entirely sure the dark-coated man had succeeded in making a home for himself, or if that was even his plan back when they last saw one another. It was a blurry day to Tryphon, like many others.

“Redtail Rise,” he offered, though he wasn’t sure how he felt about stopping for a few days rest on their territory. At this very moment, he didn’t even know where the pack should begin to look for a new home – if he should send Kaskara and Tryphon out to scout ahead and determine areas that seemed fitting, or if they should simply go together..
 
There were so few of them, and so many puppies, that he was loathe to leave behind anyone. “I imagine we’ll try to stick along the Taiga.. and maybe border in to the Valley once more,” he murmured, his gaze flicking over the youthful wolf to see what he thought of this. He had never imagined going back to Rising Sun Valley to live – and the thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. But it was either there, steal further north.. or go to the shores.

Tryphon's chest constricted when Scimitar mentioned the taiga, but there was no reason for it. At least, none that the boy could discern. He shook his head softly, appearing thoughtful. "I spent a bit of time further north; not that far, but.. It would be hard on everyone." He mentioned this casually, his ears slipping back ever so slightly at the reminder that he hadn't been there, and then continued. "You and Bazi and the other adults could manage easily, obviously. But I don't think it would be a safe route for the rest." And the children were the most important aspect of the pack, right? Tryphon felt a little guilty for using that excuse to keep away from the colder lands, yet he would be persistent if the need arose. Something about the north scared him.

"But it's entirely up to you, obviously." He hastily added, throwing the words together so quickly that they practically slurred; then, he took a step back and fell quiet. He really didnt want to make Scimitar more agitated than he likely already was. If given the order, Tryphon would hunt down the perfect home for all of them.

With Tryphon’s intentions solidified, Scimitar offered only a nod to his advice. He would not put his children in anymore peril – they had been through enough the past few days. They would not go further north – and honestly, he was loathe to go anywhere near the Duskfire Glacier, whether the pack was still there or not.
 
“We’ll go to the direction of the East – perhaps around the same area our old home was, Swiftcurrent Creek.” With that, the regal pulled back, casting another glance over the young wolf. Scimitar did not have a forgiving nature, and the silver man’s flakiness to the pack would take awhile to be eased. Where areas the Alpha would normally nudge his companion in that moment, Scimitar simply nodded, motioning that they were to find the others. “Let’s go prepare the others for the journey,” was all he said in finality, and with that, the cinnamon wolf swept away.

Had he been a little older when the lynx attacked the glacier, perhaps he would have remembered it. Perhaps he would have even remembered stories of his parent's old stomping grounds; however, Tryphon hardly remembered anything of his past life. He heard the name and gave a small nod, but felt nothing, thought of no-one. And when Scimitar began to depart, he followed suit - lagging a bit behind, but obediently in tow.