sleight of hand

@Savik I thought these two could use a thread! Set on the Tunnuyak Path (Limestone Path) Wagnark (west) side kind of between Fairspell Meadow and Otter Creek.

Everything was well and good. Or at least it felt that way. Autumn was rolling in. The air was crisper, cooler, and the world overall was slipping into that smooth transition of shutting down for the winter. The leaves in the trees of the forest were slipping from their natural greens to those shades of yellows and orange as they slowly died and fell to litter the forest floor. Here and there and evergreen would poke through the brilliance of tree flame. They were a proud and strong reminder of what it meant to be a wolf of the Spire and Tartok at that. The strong survived. They were evergreen.

The pups were getting harder to put down for a nap. Thankfully @Aariak had intervened and was watching them so Iqniq could steal away and patrol their borders once more. Iqniq descended the slopes and hopped along a part of the natural stone path that wove in and out of the forest. This particular portion was still wooded. He slipped between the trees and jutting stone. Navigating them had come with some practice, but he was slowly mastering the art of bouldering and found it enjoyable.

Thinking there might be someone who wished to join him in this, Iqniq lifted his head and called for Savik. It'd been a while since he'd seen the wolf around. It was past time the Alpha checked in on the wolf to see how he was fitting in.

Thanks for this! Sorry for the late reply!!

His ears reached it's peak as a call rang out, not too far away from his location. He had come a long way since the blind soldier to his parents, now no longer shackled by their every want and needs. He was free to do what he wanted, to do what felt right to him. But he was part of Sawtooth, and from what  he had witnessed, they did their part, every last one of them. Yes, he was free, but he worked together, with his new pack. Something he had not done before. It was new, but it felt natural. And he found himself promising he would never leave Sawtooth, it was his home. 

Picking up his feet, he ran on, his large frame not slowing him down. What may be mistaken as too much deer and not enough exercise was muscle, and he needed it for the coming winter. But yet, he had noticed himself turning down, a sign he really did need to regain his toned shape. The north winds were fast approaching and he needed his agility to catch for his cache, before the herds dispersed and the lakes froze over. Perhaps he would invest in a sparring partner, maybe Tatsuya who had previously seemed eager to spar with him. Nevertheless, his eyes fixed up ahead where he could clearly see the outline of his Alpha, Iqniq. There were two Alpha's, he had learned but he had not met the second, curiously. 

Loping up to meet his Alpha, he gave a slight bow of submission, before greeting him with a warm but refined greeting. "Alpha" He said, nodding his head in recognition. "You called for me?" He asked, unsure what this was.

Iqniq wandered along, bouncing from one jagged rock to the next as he hopped his way across the limestone path. Some stones were flatter and were easy to balance on. Others were a little more precarious. Those, he tried to limit his time on, pressing off the surface to land on the next where his footing was a little more solid. He found that as long as he kept a couple of paws down at a time, he could travel across them without too much effort. No ankle rolling. No fear of falling because of the momentum. It was actually some kind of fun and a decent workout. Not bad.

The presence of Savik caused Iqniq to slow down and stand fully upon a rock. A light smile graced his muzzle as he looked to the wolf. He appeared to be doing well. Iqniq hadn't seen him around much, but it was nice to put a good visual to the wolf he'd accepted at their borders not too long ago. The wolf called out and bowed accordingly. Iqniq nodded his acceptance of the gesture as a light wag lifted upon his tail. "Good of you to come. It's been a while."

His ear swiveled upon his head as he picked up a sound that was nothing more than the husk of a fallen leaf blowing against stone. Dismissing the noise, he turned his attention more fully towards his pack member. "You've been here, what? A little over a month now? How are you settling in? Have you met most everyone yet?" Question asked, Iqniq tipped his head in one direction and invited the wolf to join him in this patrol. They could walk and talk. The exercise and conversation would be good for them both.

Savik's stance unclenched, uncoiling from the tense mindset he had arrived in.  It was unusual to him to be summoned without dire importance, no Alpha before him had ever taken consideration for their pack members. Well, he could not speak freely, he had only known his father as an Alpha so no proper impression to expect. Finding his voice, he spoke up, not wanting to stay silent too long while his answer was yet to be said. Old habits would never break, it seemed.
"Yes, I have," Came his short reply, not being one to speak of so many words. But he reminded to not be so vague, because he was anything but stiff. His tongue had not ever ventured farther than a few words in the presence of his superiors, not out of nervousness but his thoughts weren't vast, only thinking clearly and to the point. He hated to be so narrow minded, as what he had been called before. So he continued, hinting a little bit of anti-monotonous expression in his voice. "The lands suit me well, a more varied terrain than what I grew up in but better all the same. I am yet to meet some of the members, but most of which I have," He said. 

And he knew it was his fault, being away from his parents had caused him to slack, without the constant strive to achieve he had lacked in what he had promised. No more, he said to himself, promising to pick up the slack once this meeting was over. 
Suddenly, an idea came to mind. If it wasn't too much trouble, he would ask Iqniq to join him once again to hunt, perhaps fill some caches for the coming winter. 
"Winter is approaching, I see. I was about to get some elk to fill the cache. Would you like to join? Maybe we can get a healthy one this time," He lightly chuckled, a rare sight to see.

Whoo! 900th post!

Iqniq and Tonravik could not have been more different creatures. Tonravik was a wolf a few words who took things for what they were. Iqniq didn't mind words, he found value in them. They helped him not only to see things as they were, but also to understand why things were the way they were. In this sense, he took a little more time and was often more conversational with members of the pack. He liked to spend time with them and see where every wolf was at. In life. In their progress with trades. In their desires and goals for what they wanted for themselves. That was part of the Spire's training after all. Warrior and warden were important tools for learning how to protect and defend in all facets of life. For him, learning these things required conversation.

"Mm," he murmured as Savik explained his adjustment towards the terrain. A forest wolf at heart, Iqniq sympathized and understood the difficulties of the adjustment. Why, the very slopes he walked on threatened to consume him with their sharp points like teeth should he accidentally misstep. Their borders were not so friendly at all. He grinned. All the better to keep the unwanted out.

He was about to comment further when Savik proposed they go for a hunt. "We should. I'd like that. But first, how's your progress on warrior and warden coming along?" A hunt was desirable, but their weekly hunts of late had all been successes. Their caches were well stocked, and while he'd not deny the value of adding more, Savik had been right in that winter was coming. Winter was a desperate time. And when wolves were desperate they did desperate things. Like trespassing. Stealing. All things those trades were set up to prevent against.

At the question of his mandatory trades, a little red light went off in his head. He was born to hunt, there was no question about it. And he was never one to skip out on his superior's demands, but somehow, he had let it slip. Silently cursing himself, he sighed, not about to lie straight to his Alpha's face. 
"I must admit, I have been lacking on the Warrior trade" He lost eye contact with the Alpha, showing his low morale on the subject. Warden, he could do but now, he rarely found time to show his fighting skills when his expertise called for him somewhere else. He made a mental promise to focus on the task at hand and not what he thought was best. You're not a leader anymore, you don't call the shots, he reminded himself.
"But, I have been working on my Warden and.. Gamekeeper trade, regrettably. my apologies" He lowered his head, expecting there to be a punishment for his underachievement. 

It wasn't like him at all to lack in responsibility, but his choices of priorities was his biggest flaw. He had been working on it, yet some who his effort did not suffice, as his parent's had always promised. Work harder, he gritted his teeth behind his lips, daring to snap at the constant antagonizing voice at the back of his mind.

Savik's attention had been elsewhere. He hadn't actively pursing the necessary trades. A bit of worry crossed through his mind, mostly concerned over his packemate's safety more so than anything else. "They're required for you, you know," he murmured as he launched into an explanation. "Warden is defensive. It keeps this pack land safe. Warrior is offensive. It ensures you know what to do if someone out there isn't so nice. They both work together to help guarantee survival."

Iqniq looked to him. "They're not something you have to pursue forever, but we'd like for you to at least know the basics of both." Minimum. Not every wolf enjoyed endless patrols or the strength of fitness. He knew that. He just wanted every wolf to have a solid foundation. "So what will it be? Still want to hunt? Or is there a skill you'd rather work towards?"

At his Alpha's tone, his gaze became softer. Life happened, and Iqniq didn't seem to be all that mad. Instead, launching into a controlled explanation of why the Warrior trade was necessary. But yet, Savik knew that just because the Alpha didn't look mad, didn't mean he wasn't upset. He met the Alpha's eyes, a look that understood his actions and was ready to fix his wrongs. 

"It is not that I do not want to pursue the trade, but I have never gotten used to the idea" He admitted. In his old pack, he was allowed to fight freely and didn't require the label of the Warrior trade. He hated labels. It was another way to remind him of the responsibility he held. As if he didn't know already. "I have no problem fighting really, but it is not the way my heart flows" With a hardened stature, his jaws tightened, his thoughts solid clear on what his refined goals were. "Nevermind, I will focus my time better. If you're up for it, I think I would like to spar. As you say, the warrior trade calls for me" He absentmindedly joked, yet his face held no emotion and he couldn't tell if the Alpha would pick up on it.