Blackfoot Forest i will not die

Today Cicero decided to venture out to the east, where he found the curious scent of a new pack in the area. It was far enough from Blackfeather Woods for comfort, and a mountain ridge divided them, but curiosity still pulled in the spy and compelled him to take a look.

At the frays of the territory Cicero was scouting, after descending from the mountains. He trotted, head low and nose trying to grasp what it could in terms of information, while he wondered if someone of this pack would find him sooner or later and come to greet him. He hoped they were not aggressive or overly protective, or things could get tricky, but he remained highly alert in case he was unwelcome, so that he could flee in timely fashion.

anyone from Rosings? Cicero is at the borders. (:

hello there

She was exploring the territory, as there was still much she had yet to find about the pack land, when she smelt it. The wind brought the scent of him to her but this was no lone wolf. He smelt different as if he belonged to another pack.

She followed it silently through the brush, it led to the border. There was an unfamiliar male lurking there sniffing at the border. He was only slightly larger than her, close to Saries's size. His fur was a multitude of greys and whites. Most startling were his eyes, one being a vivid orange and the other being white as the winter snow. He didn't seem hostile yet but she was cautious as she approached. 

"Who are you?", she asked not unkindly. She always had a blunt way of speaking and she hadn't meant to offend him. She kept a good few feet away, her stance alert.

hope you don't mind me joining! (:

Amara had, likely, been avoiding him. He rarely saw her and when he did she did not appear so open with him of her affections for him. She was stubborn. No woman could deny his attractiveness- even further his rank. The brute was simply the perfect man, any woman would be so lucky for him to choose her. She seemed to want to combat this stereotype, which he found annoying. His lust was occasionally bothersome, and he had no wife to use it on. 

No matter.

He could scent the other from far away, but his usual walks through the territory had brought him nearby. He made his way, soon finding that the precious Liri had already found the man. ?? This was not a loner. This was a pack wolf. It was not one from the Phoenix Maplewood that so rudely chased them from their last home- this was different. He held back from showing himself, although his scent may have been apparent. He waited, curious to see how Liri handled the situation and what the man wanted.

thanks for joining! :)

Soon Cicero drew the attention of a female, who asked him for his name. Ears perked towards her and head turned, his stature remaining neutral as he did so. Mismatched eyes sought hers briefly before turning away. He answered her question, "Cicero," as another showed. Cicero tipped one ear towards a rustle he thought he heard, but did not pay it any further attention. Being near a pack, he knew that odds were tall that others were near.

"Cicero was scouting when he found this pack. It is new, is it not? How did it come to be?" He was curious for how this pack had come to be, but also about the inhabitants of the pack and what sort of morals they carried -- or did not carry.

Cicero's ear twitched at the rustle that she had also heard but she made no move to turn her back on him. She was wary and wasn't entirely sure he wouldn't attack if she turned to seek what was likely just a squirrel.

She nodded, anybody who knew the terrain and had a proper nose would know it was newly established. She thought it odd the the way he spoke in third person of himself but made no comment on it. 

"I'm not sure I should tell you that. You could be a spy," she pointed out to him with a guarded tone. So little time spent here and she was already fiercely protective of her home and her new family.

The mans ears perked, and he nodded to himself of agreement with the white girl. True. He thought as she spoke, this stranger very well could be a spy. But honestly, what information did they hold that would be of any interest to anyone? Hi. Welcome to Rosings. We exist and we like flowers. The end.

I mean let's face it, not the most interesting of packs just yet. 

Perhaps their philosophy was different, but really there is no difference otherwise. He stood and waited, eyes narrowing upon the others features through the underbrush he hid in.

Upon the girl's defensive statement that he might be a spy, Cicero could not suppress a chortle. "And if Cicero was a spy, what would he do with information about how the pack is called or how it came to be? " There was no derisiveness in his voice -- he was merely amused at her defensive mannerisms. His mismatched eyes danced with genuine amusement, something that was rare for Cicero these days.

"In a way, though, are wolves not all spies of some sort? A wolf will rarely not use garnered information to their advantages, and so any question is, in a way, a spy's." Cicero pursed his lips, finding pleasure in the conversation thus far. He awaited her reply, hoping that she would see his words for what they were -- philosophical casual chatter -- and not as a confession of any sort.

With a roll of her eyes she answered. "We're Rosings. There isn't much to hear," She admitted. Her tone wasn't so much as rude as it was exasperated. She wasn't sure what the point of his little rambling about spies was for. 

"Satisfied?", she asked amusedly with a quirk of her eyebrow. She wasn't sure Aaron would want her talking to him, wasn't sure if it was some kind of rule not to be acquainted with other packs.

Liri's tone wasn't rude, but her words came out just a little sharp. Aaron held his tongue for a moment before revealing himself, standing tall beside his subordinate. He gave her a gentle nudge on the shoulder, but was disappointed that she had treated the visitor so poorly (if even, really). This was not how a pack made allies.

"Greetings," he woofed to the other, giving him an apologetic smile. "This is Rosings, my name is Aaron. May I ask of your pack?" he asked, his tail waving behind him in a neutral manner. The other smelled like other wolves, but he had only known of PHX.

No true answers were given to his questions. It disappointed Cicero that she did not further delve into the conversation. He had always enjoyed conversations with philosophical nature, but it seemed that she did not. When she asked if he was satisfied, he replied: "No." The sparkle left his eyes, the smile faded and the normal neutral expression returned to the frail male's face. He did not care if anyone sounded snippy, but he was disappointed that he could not play any games. The information game was one of his favourites, but so was philosophising about life. It seemed she wanted to play neither. Rosings, though — he mentally mapped the name for later purposes, incase he'd ever need it.

A single ear turned in the direction of the earlier rustles, and it was not long before Cicero turned his head towards the male. He offered a respectful dip of his head in returned greeting while the other introduced himself as Aaron. Cicero still did not know the name of the female, for she had never given it to him. The male cut right to the chase by asking him about his pack, and seeing no reasons to lie, Cicero decided to be frank. "Cicero comes from Blackfeather Woods. It is on the other side of the mountains." He glanced in the direction of the mountains, before turning back to look at Aaron. "Are all Rosings wolves so secretive?" asked Cicero with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. While he spoke he exchanged a quick glance with the female, although his question was clearly directed at Aaron.

Her head cocked to the side in confusion for Cicero seemed suddenly sad. The smile dropped from her face, wondering what she had done. That was like her to always mess things up. She shuffled on her paws awkwardly, about to make some excuse to leave when she felt a nudge. 

She glanced up to see Aaron, she began to smile warmly at him but was stopped by the disappointed look on his face. Her ears drooped downwards in sadness. She messed everything up. 

She wasn't aware the social blunder she had created as while she seemed mature in nature she was only a teenager. All she knew was that Aaron was dissapointed in her for some reason. Her best guess was because she had spoken to Cicero, who was a stranger. But that was disproved when he spoke to the male friendly.

She stuck her tongue out at Cicero playfully when he mentioned her being secretive. "I am not. Only cautious,"she corrected in the same playful tone, forgetting about her troubles for the moment.

The man had no reason to be angry with Liri. She was protecting, and had he felt this was a situation that needed to be protected she would have done her job. But this male didn't appear to be threatening, only curious. For new packs, communication was key- and if they already made one enemy they could possibly use an ally or two. He gave the other a soft smile.

"Blackfeather Woods," he repeated, storing the name in the back of his mind. "Well Cicero, it is a pleasure," Aaron dipped his head politely, his tail waving. He held back a snort, finding that most of his pack was relatively open and friendly. Perhaps Liri only felt threatened, he didn't know. "We have no secrets," the man replied, "We're only cautious, it would seem."

Aaron sat, deciding he wouldn't mind sharing the basics. There wasn't much to know. He was no fool though, if information was coming from him it would be coming back as well. "Sit, and I will share with you my pack. I do however, request you to do the same from your Blackfeather Woods." His eyes held the same mischief, the information game that the other enjoyed so much, was foreign to Aaron- but he did enjoy talking to wolves of other packs and learning.

"Likewise," said Cicero when Aaron mentioned it was a pleasure to meet him. He smiled briefly before his face fell back to its neutral self, and when invited he sat down. The girl seemed to feel more comfortable in the presence of the other wolf, and Cicero guessed that he was higher in rank than her. His scent was strong along the borders of Rosings, and so it would not surprise Cicero if he were one of its leaders. It was a guess, of course, and he had no real desire to find out, for he did not care whether he spoke to Alpha or Omega when gathering information.

So, cautious it was, then. Cicero could not help but exchange a look with both Aaron and the female as he asked, "Bad experience?" Usually caution came from experience. He knew it to be true as far as he was concerned, for before his encounter with the white wolf Cicero had never feared other wolves. Some of his confidence was growing back, but he felt the dent, and so he imagined that something must have happened to cause Rosings' dent in trust, too.

"Of course," said Cicero. "Blackfeather Woods is neutral, in general. The Blackfeather wolves look after their own and are loyal to one another." He decided to start by giving information that Cicero considered everyone's knowledge. Most packs upheld a form of such loyalty, anyway, and Cicero figured that he would be able to create goodwill by sharing a story of his own pack first.

She sat with them, but a bit off to the side as their main focus was on each other. She watched the conversation with rapt attention, eyes flickering between the two. This was a conversation for them it seemed so she made no move to comment on any of their subjects. She did however remember what he said about Blackfeather Woods in case it was relevant later.

"Mm," was all the man said in response to the other. They hadn't necessarily had a bad experience, it was simply one to be cautious of. Don't piss off the maplewood pack anymore- easy as that. Aaron listened as the other spoke of Blackfeather, general knowledge that most wolves could gather about every other pack. He nodded, shrugging. "Rosings is no different in that sense," he replied, his eyes studying the features of the other. "We function in pairs though," he added, deciding that this was information enough. He watched for a response to such news, and then glanced to the subordinate who sat obediently beside them.

"If you would care to hear more, Liri could explain?"

Aaron's answer in regard to their caution remained shallow, and Cicero guessed it a poor experience that the male wished to forget sooner rather than later. He respected that and paid the subject no further attention, instead focussing on that which the Rosings wolves did wish to divulge.

"Pairs?" he asked with great interest, curious to hear more. Cicero occasionally glanced at the female, hoping that she would rejoin their conversation. It was not that he did not enjoy her presence, but the way that they conversed seemed very different from one another. Aaron seemed to feel the same, for he invited the female — Liri, it seemed, and finally Cicero had a name to put with the face — to explain more about the pack. Cicero bobbed his head and said, "Yes." For his interest was piqued and he certainly hoped that Liri could explain more about the way the pack functioned.

She glanced to Aaron shocked that he wanted her to explain. What if she messed it up somehow? Said it wrong or something. Seeing as she couldn't refuse, she swallowed nervously before turning to Cicero to explain.

"We work in arranged marriages. After joining you have a month to get to know your pack mates before you are placed in a pairing by the Alphas. After that you are expected to treat each other as mates. It's based on the idea that love conquers and that together we are stronger than we are alone,"she recited like an obedient pupil. She glanced at Aaron to see if she had left anything important out.

Liri explained their situation well, and he nodded. "The idea is to encourage one another. If one falls behind, both are punished," he finished, watching Cicero curiously. "How do your ranks work?" he asked, but assumed it was normal. Work hard, be rewarded, yada yada yada.  "And, if you don't mind, what is your own?" he questioned, eyes still studying the face of the other wolf. 

He seemed young, but Aaron couldn't quite pin the age down. Perhaps younger than Liri, certainly than himself. The pale-furred man waited, curious of the others response.

The idea of arranged mateships intrigued Cicero much. He noted that Liri was nervous, but Aaron seemed pleased with what she told and added some words of his own. Cicero nodded, the interest in their method of life shining in his eyes. It would never be his way of life -- he believed love to conquer all too, but there was already someone that he loved in his life -- but he respected and even liked that it was Rosings'.

"Interesting. And what if a pairing does not work? Are there chances to find a different mate, or are the pairings for life? He could not contain his thirst for knowledge. Aaron asked for his own pack and Cicero admitted with a grin: "Gamma. Blackfeather has no such interesting manner of life. They simply are."

She left it to Aaron to answer as she didn't know the answer to Cicero's question. Truly she didn't think you got a different mate, you were stuck with whomever they picked for you.

"I suppose we'll see," Aaron responded, shrugging gently. "I would call myself an expert of personality, I do not believe I will make mistakes with the pairings," he added, glancing to Liri with a small smile. "The pairings are for life- treated as mates, of course," he informed him, and then studied his face for a moment.

"Gamma, a wonderful rank," he commented. "May I ask of your alpha's name? If I ever meet him it would be disappointing not to recognize him."

Aaron did not know that there was only one alpha of Blackfeather Woods, but he had no belief in a singular female leader. A woman was to lead beside a man, not vice versa.

A smile further curled up Cicero's face as Aaron said that he trusted his own judgement fully and did not think he'd make any errors. Cicero's personal experience was that wolves would do as they pleased and that oftentimes, they would leave, sometimes without reason. And, of course, that love crept where it pleased, at times in dark corridors, like his own heart was absolute proof of. "Confident." It was clear from the tone of his voice and the sparkle in his eyes that Cicero appreciated the man's confidence, even if his personal opinion differed from him. He kept his words to himself, of course. Not everyone needed to know all about his feelings towards his brother. There was no need to make this personal.

A wonderful rank — Cicero could not help but snigger a little at that comment. It was his given rank, and he bore it like any other. Cicero was not an ambitious wolf, although he enjoyed his current location. He belonged near the top of the pack, Cicero believed, but if more competent members would best him he would have peace with that, were they actually better. Gamma had long been Damien's rank, and part of Cicero felt that he was only holding it temporarily until Damien would resume its mantle again. Until, of course, he would be elevated to Beta.

"Burke," said Cicero in regards to Blackfeather Woods' Alpha. Cicero could think of little other things to ask the Rosings wolves, and so he said: "Is there anything else Aaron or Liri would like to know of Cicero?" making his intent clear to depart were there no other information asked of him.

Liri shook her head as she stood. She had nothing else to ask him or tell him either. She began to move away sending both males a small smile. "It was nice to meet you." With a nod to Aaron, a sort of goodbye, she loped off into the woods. She had things to do, places to be. She had plans to chase foxes off and set off to do that.

"Burke," the man repeated, and then dipped his head. Cicero then implied he wanted to leave, and that he had no further questions. Having no more himself, Aaron gave the other a small smile. "It was a pleasure, Cicero, I hope you return home safely. Please tell your Burke that the alpha of Rosings sends his regard," he informed the other, and then waited for him to leave before he himself headed back into the territory.

He gave Liri and gentle nudge with his nose, departing soon after.

last for me! <3

As he had thought, the other was a leader -- Alpha, even -- and sent his regards to Burke. Cicero smiled at them both and said: "Cicero will do that." After the promise, he dipped his head in farewell and then turned away from Rosings' borders to make his way west, home, while they made their way deeper into the pack.