Tormented Tarns cool enough

Joining OS/STS. @Tonravik @Iqniq @Nanuk

A mosquito whined in his ear as he traipsed into the wetland. He flicked it repeatedly, yet the insect persisted. Finally, he whipped his head to the side and snapped his jaws, his teeth coming together with a loud click! The irritating sound ceased, though it was only a matter of time before another bloodsucker came buzzing around his head. He was wading through a bog on a summer evening, after all.

He reached the far side and found himself in the shadow of a mountain. He shook out his pelt, then sat down to wash the filthy water from his legs and underside. A breeze blew past him, ruffling the soft quills of white fur at his nape, and he suddenly sat upright, alert. He'd caught a strong whiff of a pack. His dark eyes roved the nearby mountainside, then narrowed. A strange smile wound slowly over his pale muzzle.

If he'd smelled them, they'd most certainly scented him too. He slowly rose onto all fours, posture steady but neutral, waiting for their inevitable approach.

Not only smelled him, but stalked him too. She wasn't a quiet creature, but the pale Beta kept a distance far enough to prevent his suspect. Her gold eyes narrowed, staying glued to his form as he stood at their pristine borders, not yet tarnished by the blood of the foolish. Would he be one of those? Perhaps. She was picky now, if only because there were children, defenseless save for their parents and pack mates. Unknown or untrusted teeth would not be allowed near them. 

So she closed that distance, demanding of him what she would of any others at their borders. "What do you want?"

They didn't make him wait long. Rather, she didn't make him wait long. A pale figure materialized from the shadows of dusk, coming toward him. She was large, with white fur and scars, like the grandmother he'd never met. She had died just before he was born. He pushed that thought to the back of his mind, lowering his head and splaying his ears as the she-wolf came closer.

"What do you want?" she wanted to know and inwardly, he snidely thought, Who says I want anything? Aloud, however, he spoke lightly. "Well, I literally just stumbled across your pack's scent. I'm on the market for a new home and since you're here..." He paused, smiling faintly as he gestured at the mountain behind her. "Is this your pack? Are you accepting applications?"

Her lips lifted, revealing teeth yellowed with blood as he made his remark. This was a genuine fool, one who thought he could join simply because he arrived on their doorstep like a freaking gift. His smile did not endear her to his presence, instead illiciting her to run her tongue over those teeth with her intended threat. 

"And why the fuck would we want you?" it was not an insult but a legitimate question. What did he offer? what made him an asset? The wolves of the Spire did not accept dead weight so he would have to prove that he was otherwise. His only brownie points were awarded for the sole fact that he deferred to her, and that he sat a distance from their borders. He would have to earn anything else.

Her sudden show of hostility caused his ears to flick backward. It didn't make sense, unless she'd read his mind. As if to test that theory, he grinned inwardly and thought, Do you know what I've done to those who've crossed me? No, of course you don't. His nostrils flared but he lowered his head and dropped his eyes. The yearling was not afraid of her, though he also bore her no ill will. His interest in her pack was genuine.

"I'm young and strong. My mother began training me as an eag—as a hunter and guardian starting the moment I could walk. I'd be happy to prove my skills if necessary." He paused, his tongue running over his teeth for a moment. "I'm not afraid of a challenge or adversity." His eyes flashed. He'd faced quite a lot of it in his day... but he'd showed them. "I'm loyal. The only reason I left my home was because they made me." He shrugged a pale shoulder. Many young wolves were pushed from their packs, encouraged to disperse.

Meanwhile, he was trying his best to bite back a smile. His shoulders shook once with silent laughter before he was able to still them. He kept his dark eyes fastened to his black toes and made a mental checklist. Head: down. Eyes: down. Tail: down. Nothing about his posture or his behavior should displease her further, he thought.

Even if Kroc had read his though thoughts or knew his past, she wouldn't have cared. What she knew now was that as she questioned him, his posture changed, shifted into something even more acceptable. At least he had done that. Additionally, he answered her question without much fanfare. 

Guardian. Hunter. Okay with proving himself to her, wanted to rise to a challenge. Obviously he was decent at survival, for he was not fragile looking, or even that thin. One thing stood out to her, and it was what she commented on. "Why did they make you leave?" He had mentioned it, so of course, she would ask. 

The Beta's eyes did not miss the movement of his shoulders but did not interpret it for laughter. Instead, she just saw a shift in his posture, while her own form remained stock still, demeanor relaxing from outright hostile to indifferent and muscles tense as she awaited his answer.

She didn't seem ready to accept his vague explanation without further details. They didn't, he thought with an inward sneer. I made them leave... this world. Of course, he couldn't tell her that, not if he wanted to earn her trust and a chance to run as part of her pack. But the yearling was no threat to these new wolves. They had never done anything wrong by him. Maybe he could even build a real life and future here among them.

He didn't dare hope just yet. He appeared to weigh her question before readily answering, "My uncles ruled the pack. They never liked me. I don't know why they didn't kick me out sooner than they did. But when my mother died a few months ago, I really wore out my welcome." Even though the exile was a fabrication, the rest was true. He had always wondered why the brothers let him live and grow up in their pack if they resented his presence so much. It was clear they held his father's sins against him. Of course, it hadn't helped that Isabella had named him after his infamous father... but the young male would never blame his mother. She was the only blameless one in all this.

He shifted his weight, feeling a bit cramped in his submissive posture. "If you have room for me, you'll have my sworn loyalty, I... swear." He coughed out a light laugh at the redundancy. He was usually much better with his words, though to be fair, he had never been in this situation before.

To make this go a little faster, if you like you can pp Nanuk and we can make the hunt posts short! Up to you though.

Kroc was not a creature that looked for the untruths in others' words. She read body language, of course, and found nothing to make her leery of him (any more than she already was of any outsider). Inner-pack tensions were a legitimate thing; even here, they had some of their own, but the Beta did not mention such a thing. Her intention was not to form a camaraderie but to evaluate. 

An eyebrow quirked, the hint of a smile curling one corner of her mouth. Humor, even crude, the pale beast could appreciate; it was only a fleeting expression though, the stony look taking over once more. "Take point in a hunt with me." A simple command, but she wanted to know how well he could work with others. He had said he was a hunter after all, and they often worked in groups. If he had been alienated in his former pack, could he claim the same skill?

She did not press the issue of his dispersal any further, though now she wanted to run a field test. He hadn't expected it necessarily, yet he smiled slowly (and a bit sardonically) at this opportunity to demonstrate his skills. He wondered if she would decline him entry if he didn't make a successful kill or if she merely wanted to assess his skills and make sure they were up to snuff. Either way, he would do his best. He was an experienced killer, after all.

The yearling stood, his dark eyes roving over their even darker surroundings. Night had fallen, though this would not impede his ability to hunt. Many types of prey came awake at night and the rest could be rousted rudely from their beds. He began to stalk to his left, skirting along the pack's boundary line. He led the white she-wolf to a meadow just southwest, where he imagined deer, rabbits and all manner of herbivores came to feed on the grasses.

He stalked forward, moving furtively through the small prairie, and stopped in surprise when he came to a swath of flattened grass. He shot his chaperon a quizzical glance. He knew nothing of the tornado that had ripped through the wilderness nearly a month ago. His eyes roved the uprooted grasses and churned earth a moment, then flicked to several dark shapes moving along the edge of the small clearing.

Gobble, gobble, the hunter thought darkly even as he suddenly dropped to his belly, creeping forward like a cat before jumping back to his feet again and launching himself at the shadows.

The only way she would not accept him at this point was if he failed miserably, or went off and killed another wolf unwarranted like the other one that wanted to be accepted into the Spine. He had lived on his own though, presumably for a while if she was judging by the dusty appearance of his fur. Then again, maybe he was just a dirty little fucker. She followed without comment though; if he gained acceptance, she'd start terrorizing him then, as she did most of the others. 

He led, as she'd instructed, returning his gaze calmly when he looked back at her in surprise. The tornado had hit here too, yes, though perhaps he'd not been present in the Wilds at that time. A silent shrug was offered, mimicking his tactics as he hunkered down. Gold eyes flickered to the male's quarry, her large form half her normal size in the graze, doing her best to move quietly. She was not as good at such things, not like him. Nanuk was not a creature of stealth.

But as soon as he was off, she was following again, observing as he went in for the kill. The animal's cries were sudden and panicked but surely, in the chaos that ensued, he'd come away with something in his jaws. He was quick and he had a chance of success. He needed to learn to lead a proper hunt but that could come in time. While she didn't know much about him, the Beta could see potential in this one. Potentially great or potentially a giant failure but either way, her decision had not yet wavered.

There were six wild turkeys. It was too dark to discern any details, so he flung himself at the nearest. As his teeth clipped it somewhere between its throat and breast, the flock began to raise a raucous fuss. He closed his eyes as beaks, wings, claws and all manner of weaponry was turned upon him. The wolf then applied a brutal amount of pressure, crushing flesh and bone with his jaws before leaping clear.

Bleeding from several dozen superficial cuts, the panting hunter located his chaperon and loped over to her to catch his breath. He didn't look at her right away. Anywhere he moved, his coal eyes remained focused on the slain turkey as it slumped in the field, bleeding out in the darkness. In a moment's time, he would run back in there and chase the five remaining birds away from his kill and collect his prize.

In the meantime, his dark gaze finally flicked sideways to the white she-wolf. "It's all yours when I go in and grab it," he said to her. "And I just realized we never even exchanged names," he mused between pants. "You can call me Wick." That wasn't his name—it wasn't even his full nickname—but maybe he would provide more details once he was accepted and began to make something of himself in her ranks.

The male was quick enough to catch his avian prey, something she watched intently, head down as she prepared to swoop in if he needed her. The wolf came away bleeding lightly judging by the tinge of iron teasing her olfactory nerves but altogether fine and unfazed. Good. He even offered her the kill, showing that he could think beyond himself and for those of his pack. 

"Your name within these borders is Pita." A slight smile curled her lips again, amused with herself. "Catch what you will and deposit some of it into the cache inside the borders. Eat. Rest up. Get your ass patrolling. Warden and Warrior are required skills within Sawtooth Spire." Her ear twitched, swiveled to listen to a distant howl. Was it Arverk? No. The tone was wrong and it was not for she or any of their group. 

She almost turned away then but paused again, thinking. "Nanuk. I am the Beta here." Probably important info. Probably.

What the fuck? he thought when she ignored his introduction and instead assigned him a name: Pita. She gave him a quick introduction and he realized it must be one of the pack's customs. More importantly, he was in. His entire identity had changed again at a moment's notice. He was now Pita of Sawtooth Spire. And, evidently, he would add Warrior and Warden to his list of new titles.

A distant howl captured her attention briefly and he took the opportunity to dart back toward the wild turkeys, driving the five remaining birds away from the body of their fallen comrade with savage snarls and snaps. With the heavy carcass firmly clasped in his mouth, he then trotted back to his chaperon, or more accurately, his new Beta.

He dropped the kill at his feet. He had suspected she was the Alpha female up until now. "Nanuk," he repeated. "Who's the Alpha?" More likely than not, there was not just one but two, an Alpha pair. He knew it wasn't always the case, though. His father had been an Alpha until he was usurped and killed (before he was even born) but his mother had always been a meek sort, a typical Omega.

He repeated her name and her eyes focused on him again, considering. "Iqniq and Tonravik." She did not share that the latter was laden with pups as he was not trusted enough to know that just yet. Give him a bit, let him earn his keep for a few days, and he'd probably find out from someone else along the way. "Welcome to Sawtooth Spire." With that, it was official. She had accepted his bid for a place in the pack and he would do with it what he liked. Would he fit in? Only time would tell at this point. 

All that was left now was for the pale female to close the distance, shouldering up against him to exchange scents. He'd probably not be happy if he was mistaken for an intruder. If he needed no other information and did not wish for an escort onto the pack lands, Nanuk would separate from him now, leaving to continue her patrol and let him settle in.

Woo, I think you can conclude this! :)

She gave two names, so there was a pair. He wondered if they had a litter, though he didn't ask. Puppies made him uncomfortable. If there were some around here, he wouldn't mind teaching them to hunt and guard, when they were older. But he would happily keep his distance until then. Thinking of them reminded him of the pups back home, his uncles' offspring. They were dead now, along with everyone else, and he could not bring himself to feel remorse.

"Thanks," he said, then held still when the Beta female brushed against him, slathering him in her scent. "That'll be a buck fifty," he joked when she stepped away. He didn't think she would get the joke but that was all right.

His dark gaze turned to the nearby mount, a shadow darker than the night sky. He sucked in a quiet breath, then said to no one in particular, "I think I'll start with a night patrol." His eyes dropped, seeking Nanuk's silhouette, then the dead turkey at his feet. "Right after I drop this off. Wanna show me to a cache...?" He lowered his pale muzzle and scooped up the sizable corpse, then waited for her to take the lead.

Will do!

She snorted, giving him a sly look before her mouth opened to retort "You're cheaper than I thought." At least he was affordable. But he seemed like he'd be a hard working whore so that was what mattered. "Allow me to lead you to your street corner." If the male kept this up, he'd fit in just fine; no doubt Iqniq would enjoy having another wolf around with whom he could verbally spar. She'd have to inform the Master Pimp of the newbie. 

Her path shifted now, leading him into the territory and to a cache close to their former location. He was a big boy and could figure things out on his own from here. "See you around, Pita." Her words of parting were her last to him for now, moving off to patrol in the direction she'd been headed when she stumbled across him, leaving the wolf to start his work in solitude.

Thread end!