Hushed Willows It worked...! I mean-- of course, it worked!

After seeing Octavia to her little nook and dropping off her small dinner Stark had taken to wandering. He was interested in getting familiar with the lands as quickly as possible. He couldn't wander off too quickly - not without seeming like an immediate vagrant after accepting a spot in the pack. Instead he was going to work the lands themselves and try and figure out the best possible ways that they might get some more meals. 

He was still surprised by the chance encounter. Maybe the trick was to offer food to every woman he saw. It had worked in his favor with Octavia, but, he doubted his luck would offer him another fat hare to give to the next person who came around. 

Not sure if Stark has been introduced and all yet but I'm just gonna assume he has.

After the day spent with Nova Rose, Trick had gone back to The Crook to rest. Even a man as perfect and amazing as him needed his sleep, though he was awake again when the sun was barely showing. He got up with a loud yawn, stretched, and walked to the opening of the cave. He had heard of the new face, Stark he believed his name was, and was dying to meet this new threat. He wasn't fond of new wolves he had to beat to come to the top, especially not males. Trick wasn't a fighter, therefore he had to work his way up instead of fight for it. 

He walked through the land of the Marauders that had first been green, lively. It was now nothing more than another part of the wasteland that was Teekon. He missed the rustling sounds of the Weeping willows, he missed the smell of various herbs and berries. But this event would only work in his favor. With food scarce, tension between the packs here would arise, giving him the perfect distraction to climb to the top and manipulate anyone who stood in his way. He went to the borders to patrol for the first time since he had been here, only to see a familiar coat. Well, vaguely familiar.

He approached the dark man that was just slightly bigger than him with a quite gently smile. Stark. He greeted with a nod, almost a bow.

Hope my jumping in is welcome <3

 
 
Grace was out for a walk, enjoying time alone, when she came upon two males she knew. One was Trick, the male she shared the healing den with. The other was new, and she only knew his name. The dark male was handsome, admittedly, but that didn't mean he was a good person. Perhaps she would get close to this wolf? She hadn't made any close friends, and she was missing the bond she'd had with Esaro. Stark seemed like a good canidate, perhaps?

Giving Octavia the kill he'd caught meant that he had to find something else for himself. It wasn't unreasonable in his opinion, and the new mother deserved the food for her young son more than he needed it. He gave a soft little sound as he spotted the other wolf approaching, his mind taken from thoughts of Octavia and Tambourine into the present. There were many names to remember, and Stark was feeling a little bit more wary just because he hated not having the upper hand mentally. 

He offered a nod of his head and Stark returned it, curling down a bit politely since he as taller than the other male. "Forgive me, I was given a number of names.." He wasn't sure which wolf specifically he was. a female approached and he turned to give her a nod as well. "Hello," He said evenly.

Trick looked up to the male, not mentally, and as he was now closer, the height difference was even better visible. He made a little grumpy face, eyes squinting at the chin of the other, but it didn't last for long. No, he wasn't jealous of the bigger guy, far from it. Trick was more proud than anyone he knew about his appearance. He was small, but nobody could resist his sparkling emerald green eyes, his devious yet playful smirk, the confidence he moved with. In his eyes, he was a handsome man. His coat always on point, never something between his teeth. If he was bigger, this would all look cocky and self-centered, which he kind of was but details weren't important. It was hard to expect him being full of himself, yet understandable once someone knew. 

The other lowered himself slightly, which was appreciated, and the trickster smiled that warm smile of his. Trick, just Trick. He informed in a honey, low voice. It's so specific, I don't think you'll forget it easily. He joked just before the sweet smell of Grace blew by. He turned his head to look at her approaching and nodded with now a meant smile. Good morning, lady Grace. He greeted politely.

Trick was introducing himself when Grace came into earshot, and a smile played across her face. Her tail wagged in a friendly manor, but she stayed a few feet away. Not because of Trick, of course, but her lack of knowledge on Stark. Regardless, her golden eyes were warm and welcoming. The red female decided to address her friend first, returning his greeting with one of her own.
        "Staying out of trouble, Trick?" 
Her attention turned back to Stark, and she gave a shy nod to him.
               "Hello, Stark. Hope you're liking it here. What do you plan on doing?"
She, herself, was content with healing and hunting: two things she did quite well despite a bad leg.

Stark gave him a little grin as the male smoothly offered his name. It was abrupt, to the point, not unlike his own tended to be. "Stark," He hummed out. The male almost looked like they could have been related, a little bit closer to the ground than Stark was but ultimately the same palette had gone into painting him as it had Stark. He had his mother to thank for that, whereas Banner and Cap had gone more to their father's good looks he thought. 

Grace - Trick and Grace. Stark gave a welcoming nod, looking the female over and spotting the limp. That had to suck. He knew how badly he'd been laid out after that fight and the marks he still hid beneath the fur on his chest. Hers were more obvious. "Today I was hoping for just do some scouting - maybe get a history lesson if someone was around. Octavia mentioned issues with the northern packs, and all that did was make me curious." Not stupid, though, he wouldn't go poking around here he probably wouldn't be welcome.

Let's hope your last name isn't mad, for then we might have a problem! He joked when hearing the other introduce himself once again. It was unneeded, for Trick paid much attention to all who roamed this place and to every meeting. He had to know as much as he could if he wanted to break things apart here. For instance, he knew that Kunik didn't trust him, that Grace was quite a hard worker, that Warbone was not against violence at all, that the older lady wasn't at all that old up there and much more. He didn't know much about Tavi nor the dog-like creature he had smelled and seen around.

Trick chuckled loudly at Grace's words. Always. He said truthfully. It was his whole job to stay out of trouble so he could be a better version of himself. He listened to the new Marauder, taking note of how he wanted to scout and learn. Well, don't know anything about trouble with the North. He said with a shrug. He only knew of Depp that was part of another pack and the mysterious lady he had met in the forest where trees bled.

Grace was not blind to his inspection of her, however brief it had been. Not that she minded, wolves were bound to question how such a bad injury had come upon her, and the only thing that bugged the yearling was when they judged her for it. Warbone, for instance, had called her a cripple when Nova first introduced her. He'd given her a chance in a task, and she carried it out with flying colors. The dark male didn't question, however, but went on to answer her question. Sounded like someone Nova would get along with.
      "My adopted mother, Nova Rose, she traveled all her life and she's a story teller. Depending on what you want the history of, she could probably help you. She loves helping people." 
Grace scented for the elderly woman, but could only tell she wasn't close. If he wanted her, he'd either have to go find her or call her. The russet girl smiled at Trick, but her attention was more so on Stark. She knew nothing of dangers to the North, and instead busied herself looking over the dark man. It wasn't obvious, but her golden gaze took everything in.

"Nah, not mad - but enough folks would say it about me anyways." He shot back with a little wink and the slightest wave of his tail. Mad scientist, some had said, but his experiments tended to go well until they just went bad and it was back to the drawing board. Once he got comfortable he'd try setting up some traps, see if any of the things he'd learned would work here. Life alone for so long meant he'd been resourceful, after all. 

He gave Grace a gentle smile when she suggested to seek out her adoptive mother. "I'll keep the name in mind." He said with a smile. "It's just a weird warning. Maybe it's more a personal thing, but I don't feel like screwing up after just getting here." Stark admitted. He'd wait and save up his points before screwing up badly. "Either of you up for a walk? I haven't really taken the grounds in."

Trick was surprised to hear that more called the other dark male mad, for he seemed like more of a sane than most. He didn't comment on it any further though, he just felt the topic be.

Trick had indeed noticed how Grace's walking was a little off, but hadn't given it much thought as of yet. As long as she could walk, he didn't see a problem. She was even quite quick on her paws and showed some real skill when it came to herbs and hunting. It was also nice to hear her talking about Nova, for he didn't know much about the pale woman. So a storyteller huh? He had to remember that for in the Crook when he couldn't sleep.

Trick kept quiet, eyes shifting to the person speaking every time. You learn from mistakes though. He spoke, finally cutting into the conversation. I mean, if you screw up here, you have a big chance of never doing it again in the future. He said with a blank face and a light shrug.

I was planning on patrolling, you can join if you want, otherwise I'll be on my way now. He answered, already setting a few stept toward the border. Someone had to do it, right?

Grace smiled, her tail wagging a little as stark took her words into consiteration. She would tell Nova of him later, she was sure. Perhaps the elder would seek him out herself? Trick cut in before she could say anything, and the yearling nodded in agreement. One did learn from mistakes, for it was either that or, eventually, pay with your life. 
The raven wolf spoke of patrolling, and her nose crinkled in distaste. There were better things to do than walk around the edges of the territory, surely. Her golden eyes shifted back to Stark yet again, and her head tipped slightly to the side.
        "Sorry Trick, but no thanks. I was gonna go check on the den, maybe do some improvements if I think of any. The rocks are probably safe to move by now, right?"
Grace hadn't removed the blockages from the holes in the cave just yet, in fear of any aftermath. It seemed calm, though, and it was getting stuffy with only one entrance opened only to exit and enter. Darkness, too, was an issue: what little light filtered through tiny gaps was pale, and straining your eyes was a must if you were to see anything properly. It was quite annoying.

Oh, certainly, if he did screw up he might never get the chance to again. But he didn't expect that to be the end of his story. He would do a lot things first before he let himself die after all. Stark nodded, glancing from Trick and Grace before Trick spoke again. The thought of patrolling called to him immediately. It served two purposes; making himself useful in the eyes of his Alphas and of getting him familiar with the grounds. He would be fortunate enough that Trick would also be present and thus they would get to know each other better. "I'll join you." He said with a smile, accepting the gracious offer. Trick could refuse him after all, considering Stark would certainly slow him down. 

It left Grace to her task on her own, but, when it came down to it Stark didn't know the first thing about the sort of work she had laid out. Herbs were not his specialty. 

He saw the lithe female's nose wrinkle, and he could indeed agree with her that there were better and more fun things to do than walking over an invisible line. But, someone had to do it, and it couldn't forever be the old lady. Trick didn't think less of her because she was old, far from it actually, but he didn't felt right by letting a woman do all the work. He had more respect for the female gender as a whole, and so he thought that if he did it, he would spare the old woman's efforts. Plus, he would get bonus points for participating again, getting closer to his ultimate goal.

Don't think the locusts will come back anytime soon without any greenery left, so the stones, indeed, have become useless. He spoke to Grace. By the way, quick thinking. He commented, even if he had already sort of complimented her on the thing that he had done hadn't it been for her. She had spared him the effort, and for that he was graceful.

Your presence is greatly appreciated. He said, his gaze shifting to the bigger, dark male. Trick liked going fast though, even when it came to the borders, so he may or may not get annoyed once the other got behind. But, he would give his need for speed up for some good information on the male and his intentions in this pack. Knowledge was power in his eyes.

A smile spread across her face at the praise, and a feeling of pride warmed her from the inside. She'd done well for not herself, but the pack: a sense of loyalty deepened towards those she now consitered family.
  Her smile faded, however, as the border patrol was picked over her. Silly, of course, for her to feel so hurt, but she didn't know any better. Now that she was finally opening up to others after her abuse, any 'no' felt like a total rejection. 
      "I'll see you boys later then, when you aren't busy protecting us."
She limped off towards the cave that housed their herbs, throwing politely toned words behind her before taking a full leave.

Stark nodded a couple times in agreement, after hearing what had happened with the locusts any preventative measures were a stroke of genius to preserve the pack's herbs. That had been before his time, but, he could still appreciate the sentiment that Trick was giving to Grace. Stark noticed her smile fade but didn't know what to do about it, he couldn't figure that out. Not then. He was just doing something that would give him more knowledge and that was his priority at the time. 

"It was a pleasure to meet you, miss." He said with a smile before she turned away, his blue gaze shifting over to Trick to focus on him. "I like your name." He said with an easy grin. He was drawn to the simpler names, it being so much like his own. "Just to make it weird before we go, y'know?" He shot him a smirk, turning towards the pack's borders to start the patrol.

It was never Trick's intention to "steal" the new guy from Grace, and he hoped she knew. Trick might genuinely like Grace, though he found himself incapable of that. She was nice, that was all. Trick chuckled lightly at her comment on them protecting the pack. Right, as if someone as small as Trick could protect. He could only threaten and call for help unless the attacker was someone his height and build.

He nodded her goodbye, not feeling like saying anything else, and turned to Stark. It seemed the dark man had already done so, and Trick chuckled again. Trick was not his real name, but he accepted the odd compliment anyway. It was actually more of a compliment now since he had come up with the name Trick himself. Nothing is weird around me. He said as he followed Stark to the borders.

You see, ever had gay sex? Yeah, nothing surprises me anymore. He said, laughing as he thought about a few nights back with Teabag.

They made their way away from Grace and Stark fell into step next to Trick. His curiosity about the pack and the man at his side meant he was probably going to ask a few prying questions but what the man said in response to his little comment made him laugh. He shrugged a shoulder gracefully - there was no judgement there. "It's different, that's for sure." He said with a little grin. "Depends on which end you're on as to what's even more surprising." Stark said dryly. 

Once they'd made it to the edge of the borders he took a few moments, picking out some random scents. "My sisters got short names too. Banner and Captain." He said as he followed Trick's lead. There was an obviously more fonder edge to his voice as he said Banner - Cap was not his favorite person in his family. 

I'm more in the middle, no end. He responded vaguely. To be honest, Trick found himself not to be capable of love. He never had a crush before, and the night with Teabag had just been lust, not love. He doubted any female would want him by their side, despite his handsomeness, for he looked small and weak compared to the bigger guys. But he didn't bother as long as they didn't bother him. He had respect for women, but even he knew there were some pretty annoying ones, like Kunkun. 

As soon as they reached the border, Trick urinated on the nearest thing he could find and carried on in a quick trot. He could multitask though, and found himself listening to Stark while he was marking the borders. Captain? Is he a pirate? Trick asked curiously. 

"She is a brat." Stark said quickly. "One of those disgustingly perfect creatures that has no right being as good as she is." He said with a sigh. There was a lot that he could say about his sister and as much as it pained him he had to be mostly positive. She didn't mean to be the way she was. It was just her nature. Her perfectly golden nature. Stark took a couple paces, finding a spot he found to be less scent marked as the rest and took care of it, turning back to Trick. 

He took a few paces, following after the male. "Banner is entirely different. Temper on her, sure, but she's crazy smart." He hummed out more evenly - it was clear as day which of his siblings he preferred. 

Oooh, right right, affirmative, your sisters. Trick let out with a distracted gaze, feeling as if he couldn't do two things at a time after all. He padded faster, wanting the border business done as soon as possible so he could focus better on the other dark male. Sounds a bit like you're jealous. Trick commented, though he didn't mean it in a mean way. It could be that Stark was indeed jealous of the perfection of his Captain Sister, and Trick couldn't blame him for it. Wylie, the former Trick, had been extremely jealous of his brother too.

Crazy smart huh? You mean life smart, spirit smart or naturally smart? Trick questioned, inspecting an odd looking branch and after just peeing on it. Huh, border work was more fun than he had thought. He could basically piss on anything while not getting any kind of complaints. Hehe, how do you feel now branch? stupid branch.

Trick wasn't saying anything that Stark wasn't already aware of. He was jealous of Cap, sure. His father had favored the female greatly in his litter, even though he was the only male, even though he was a willing student. "I am." He admitted freely. He wasn't upset with that, he wasn't angry at the notion. He'd struck out on his own in order to claim a better life for himself out side of Cap's shadow. 

"Naturally smart. Banner's one of those types that just gets it." Stark was fairly intelligent, he picked up on things quickly, but, Banner was in a league of her own in that regard. "Any siblings?" He asked, taking a moment to properly anoint a rock as they walked along. 

Alright, alright. Trick hummed in approval. At least he wasn't lying about it, like so many others. Trick had not noticed that he was going faster and faster over the border line, and that they were almost half way already. So far, the other hadn't really slowed him down quite as much as he had first imagined. Does she know you're jealous of her? Trick asked to test if Stark was as wise to do so. If this Captain did know, Stark was a little more wolf-wise than Trick was, for Wylie had never told Thor he was jealous. That was part of the reason he betrayed them all in the end.

From what he heard, Trick took a liking to this Banner. She sounded much like him. Some were just born smarter. But soon came the questions he was avoiding. Trick stopped in his tracks for a split second, only to rush down the border once again and act as if nothing had happened. No. He lied, but it was hard to tell he was lying.

To Trick's next question Stark had to pause in his thoughts - he had to really mull it over. He knew that in their hushed ways he and Banner had discussed it at length. She supported Stark's idea to go out, to forge ahead, but he had never talked about his feelings with Cap. She didn't get him like his tawny sister did. But he didn't really try with her either. Stark made a soft sound, sighing quietly for a moment. "I'm not sure." He said finally. "Probably, it's not like I bothered trying to hide it from her." He said after another moment. "There wasn't really a point in trying to play pretend." Curran seemed to respect Captain more than he did Stark, and that bothered the dark phased male. 

Trick had no siblings, which was surprising - single pup litters didn't seem so often to him and yet he thought of Octavia and Tambourine. It happened. Circumstances couldn't always be controlled, after all. "I've got older siblings than those two, as well. My family's....prolific." He said with a little chuckle. "Sometimes I think I would have been fine trading them in for time alone. I woulda missed Banner, though. I guess I'm fine putting up with the rest for her sake."

If you ever see her again, you should tell her. Trick clicked his tongue as he looked for a nice spot to piss again. It was no secret that keeping feelings hidden wasn't a good thing. Not that Trick listened to his own advice though. The Babadook had already nestled in his cold soul, and perhaps it was the only reason he had grown bitter. Perhaps, if he was given time, he had grown into a quite likable creature. But no, Odin just had to murder them all, hadn't he? 

Finally finding another spot, he proudly marked the border again, agile leg pulled up to do so. Geez, what a tragedy Stark had with his family -uhum-. Wylie rolled his eyes at the sky. Be glad you have a family... Trick murmured. Being alone isn't good for the soul.