Silverlight Terrace Motivation is such an aggravation

>:)

Dante had meant to ask Osprey if she wanted to see the new place before going to settle, but he first had one more scouting task to achieve and he wanted to do this one himself.  To the north he had discovered the claim of Silvertip, but he had only gone a short distance south.  He did not know if any lay further in, and while the distance was adequate, it was still important information all the same.

He was loping across a low field when the wind carried the first traces to him.  Luckily it blew in his favor today, because what it brought stopped him in his tracks.  Are you kidding?  His lip curled as he recognized Charon, but what surprised him was the mixture of the dark female from the mountains.  Had they moved?  He hadn't realized.

That they were here and shared a claim was now clear, and he stood gazing at the mountains before him for a time.  His opinion of her, high before, now plummeted... As it would for anyone who agreed to lay a claim with that youthful idiot.  He still carried no active animosity towards Charon, even after the loss of his ear.  Anger over words faded and left simply a strong sense of dislike.  But that didn't mean he relished a reunion either, because if the little shit opened his mouth again, who knew what Dante would do.  The rageful outburst had been freeing, but also a surprise even to him.  He wasn't sure he wanted to repeat it, and he definitley knew he did not want to injure himself so close to relocation.

With a narrow gaze he regarded the mountain a moment longer, then turned to go, ears tipped back thoughtfully as he did so.

Hello!

Lex doesn’t rush his trip back home but he knows he has information to present to Amekaze and Charon.  Nothing too exciting but the first two legs of his trip were completed.  The next would take a little more time, having to travel farther than just to Redhawk Caldera or Blacktail Deer Plataeu.  He would be gone a lot longer but for now, he misses a constant place to sleep and his sister. Spending some time back with Moonspear would do him some good, clear his mind, before he takes the trek again.

As he makes his way through, Moonspear in the distance, he catches wind that reminds him of Regulus.  Lex narrows his eyes and his hackles raise, expanding in his broad shoulders a little more to make his already impressive size bigger.  Of course the kid would just cause trouble for him.  Not trying to be a fuckwit, my ass.  With an irritated rumble in his chest, he takes a few steps forward to find the wolf.  He goes quiet before he catches sight of the other.  He isn’t walking closer to the mountain and Lex considers leaving entirely and going home but, a sickening curiosity settles in his stomach.

Lex chuffs quietly, drawing attention to himself so he doesn’t startle the other.

Someone approached, preventing his plan to simply return unhindered. He immediately could tell it was not Charon, nor the woman he knew, so he kept neutral, returning a soft noise of greeting and gazing curiously. The male's affiliation wasn't immediately clear, but he could guess.

He assumed the other wanted to know what his business was, but did not offer words just yet. He would let him ask what he would. Hopefully they could keep this brief and Dante could be on his way - but if this man was of Charon's number, they could kill two birds with one stone by telling of their intentions now. He had little desire to meet with the young, apparent-alpha anytime in the future.

Lex regards the other wolf as he’s greeted.  He’s stopped in his tracks for the moment but his direction is away from Moonspear.  His yellow eyes narrow for a moment, before he glances past the other and toward his mountain.  What does it say if he’s not quite looking forward to going home?  His feet are tired, though, and he could use a good meal and the company of his sister.

“You are from Blacktail?” he questions with a slight tilt of his head.  Regulus could have bad mouthed him for all he knew but beyond a name and general appearance, his identity is unknown to the other.  He’ll find out soon enough:  “I just visited the other day.”

"I am," he returned calmly. After hearing the other had visited, he wondered only a moment why he wouldn't have heard word of such a visit... But if it had been recent, likely Dante was already headed for the shore land. "May I ask what your visit was for?" He could hear when he returned, most likely, but might as well get the news straight from the source. He was curious what it had been about.

The wolf confirms where he hails from and Lex dips his nose a little but his features don’t soften and his posture remains neutral.  He had left with a bad taste in his mouth and without much information he could find useful and return to Moonspear with.  He looks forward to seeing Amekaze and relaying information but, Charon, the thought causes him to resist an internal eye roll.  Voiding the information from Regulus would be the best thing, that the visit had not been useful, might raise something in Charon he didn’t want to hear.

“I had gone bearing news of Moonspear’s creation and to talk a little about the relations between the two,” he tells the other with a disinterested shrug.  He’d have mentioned more if he had anything but his paws are empty and he didn’t bother to press the matter with this guy.

"The Moonspear... Is that the mountain claim there?" Dante's nose indicated the peak yonder, the one wreathed in Charon and the nameless black female's scent. "If so, there will be no relations. I am fairly positive your Alpha wouldn't want them either." He fought a losing battle to keep the slight tinge of derision out of his voice at calling Charon by his likely new title. "Best we stick to our own territories." He wasn't exactly unfriendly in delivering this, but he wasn't fond of the idea of these Moonspear wolves poking around the plateau. They had no need of allies, especially not those who likely bore them ill will as a result of their leadership.

Lex nods his head to the question, glancing toward the mountain without much expression on his face.  Dante adds on that there is no relation, which confirms what little Regulus knew, but he adds something the other wolf had forgot to mention.  There is something underlying between the plateau in his own land that he’d been unaware. He narrows his eyes, returning his gaze back to the other as he gives him a suggestion of sticking to their own lands.  It’s unfortunate that Lex doesn’t quite want to return, that he only has trust in Amekaze and not the other, making his own trust in the black female questionable.  

“Would you mind telling me why?” he asks, curious, though more for his own gain than to return to Moonspear with the information.  “I joined under Amekaze’s reign in the Sunspire, before I knew much of the other pack they were merging with,” he adds, hoping he could gain enough trust that the male might indulge his curiosity.

The young Alpha patrolled Moonspear's northern frays when he noted something disconcerting in the distance. He travelled from the territory, ears perked forward and as he neared, the wind carried Dante's scent towards him. Charon felt mixed feelings in his gut, but soon noted that Lex' scent was there, too. Charon had met Lex on a couple of occasions, but had found them mostly positive: their first meeting along the slopes of Moonspear, during claiming, and later when his sister, Izo, had joined (although her stay had unfortunately been short-timed). Charon quickened his pace, though when he found them he saw little tension between them. Dante moreso than Lex.

Charon approached from Lex' side, head raised regally as he did so. The tip of his tail twitched tensely as he looked at Dante; it seemed so long ago that they had clashed, and yet not by far long enough. "Lex," Charon said and a brief smile flashed over his face before he turned to look at Dante and said, tone of voice a lot less friendly than before: "Dante."

His desire that they keep to their own lands and have no sort of contact was an attempt to keep things between their packs as neutral as possible. Because this was his goal, he didn't much want to hash out the circumstances of his and Charon's disagreement... it was in the past, and while his dislike for the other had not much faded, he had no wish to stir things up in such a way.

But, speak of the devil... just as he was about to open his mouth and deliver a cryptic half-answer, the very subject of the conversation strolled up. Wonderful. He'd apparently lingered too long.

"I was just informing Lex that our pack needs no official relations with yours. I thought you would agree on that." His voice was neutral, but his posture spoke some of his desire to be off, slightly tensed from the tone the conversation had just taken. At least he had learned one thing from this foray today... the dark queen's name. Amekaze. They had never exchanged, and likely now never would. For this was an area Dante would now gladly steer clear of.

Feel free to skip over Lex if you need to, I think I'm going to take him out of the game.

Lex isn't able to get his answer, perhaps he wouldn't have at all, before Charon shows up. His jaws clench as his head swings to look at him when he's acknowledged and then puts a name to the face of the other. There is little pause between the greeting as Dante speaks up, reiterating what has once been said already. It leaves plenty to the imagination and doesn't surprise him that either rub each other the wrong way, whatever the reason. It might even go as far to explain why Regulus had been at a stalemate on the borders. Either none of them cares much for the leaders of Moonspear or they all have a bone stuck in a not-so-sunny place.

Either way, Lex isn't ready for that type of conflict before he takes a few steps back from the meeting. He doesn't leave his leader to the other. Even if Lex's opinion had turned sour, he wouldn't leave the other in danger without a reason.

Lex remained silent, and Charon could make little of his subordinate's mood or intentions. He looked at Dante, feeling strong so close to his own lands and with a pack member to back him up, though he did not thirst for revenge. It would only be petty were he to exact it here and in this manner, anyway.

"Osprey returned," Charon said, almost as though he were sharing a fact, as if Dante didn't already know anyway. He wasn't sure why he did. It wasn't like he and Dante were ever going to be on amicable grounds, anyway. "No, I don't think our pack will need any relations to a pack lead by someone like you." He said it as if 'someone like you' was a bad thing to be, almost as if he was disgusted thinking about it. He liked Osprey, and he liked Casmir, and that was the only reason he preferred neutrality over hostility between their packs; but he would never like Dante.

He wasn't surprised Osprey had come to visit her friend, though only the gods knew why she got along with him. He wouldn't have bothered sharing such information with a non-packmate (it hadn't even crossed his mind) but he would also never enforce his packmates not have a relationship with the Moonspear. Just because their pack had no allies did not mean they could not have outside friends. "She is," he stated carefully, not really wanting to discuss it.

His eyes narrowed at the tone, but he was gratified by the words. Good. A part of him had wondered if Charon was immature enough to disagree on principle, but thankfully he was not. He had no desire to see any of their pack within the vicinity of either the plateau or donnelaith. Lex seemed a decent sort, but Dante couldn't regret being brosque with him.

"Good. Glad we settled that." He began to turn to leave, listening if Charon had any final statement to make. He hadn't wanted this meeting to occur and wanted nothing more than to return home, but at least they knew where they stood for sure now. Neither seeking active harm, but neither wishing to make amends either.

Their conversation was short-lasted, and soon fizzled out entirely. As Dante turned to leave, Charon simply waited, allowing him to leave. He stood as a sentinel, guarding his lands almost as though he expected Dante to turn on him or piss on his borders. He stood and watched, until Dante was out of sight. Then he turned to Lex and suggested, "Well done. C'mon, let's go home," before turning towards his home and letting things be, while he wondered what Dante's damn problem was anyway.