Swiftcurrent Creek dogs howling at the moon

This is for @Razo!

Considering the steep influx of eligible bachelors Fox now had at her disposal, she thought it would be a good idea to evaluate them on a deeper level. If one of them were to help her produce children next year, she would need to ensure that they got along well enough. She was not interested in romance nearly as much as some other wolves may have been. Instead, she leaned toward those who would make good breeding stock. It was shallow, but definitely practical.

She contemplated who to call on, her decision a pendulum between Razo and Scimitar. Both were plenty good physically, but there was something to be said about wit. For one reason or another, she chose to call for Razo. Once her song had died down, she sat in a small clearing and awaited his presence, curious to see what (if any) his response would be to her summons.

He snorted with impatience when he was interrupted by his leader’s call and a very slight glare crossed his face as he ultimately decided to oblige her. As interested as he’d been when she’d greeted them at the borders, his sharp focus being broken by outside influence was abrading during all of the five seconds it took him to stash the weasel he’d only just plucked on exit from its burrow. He concealed the carcass, lifted his leg to piss across the surrounding area, and then sprung off at an easy lope.

He sauntered lackadaisically towards her when he found her sitting quite comfortably in a clearing. Despite his offhand manner, he eluded the bits of underbrush and tree tendrils that reached out to trip him up with matchless and nearly feline grace. It was one of those inexplicable Redefin traits he’d inherited, right along with the propensity for being dragged across the many wilds by wanderlust and his wildly scruffy fur that would never for as long as he would live just lie flat, forever accenting his unabashed and otherwise startling good-looks.

Had you called for the “Red One” you’d have been left sitting here all by yourself, he practically purred, as he came to stop just beyond her reach, his yellow eyes gleaming with absolute roguery. His distaste for her call had disappeared the moment he saw her waiting, so seemingly patient.

Razo seemed to always have some kind of offhand comment lined up, which Fox actually quite liked. While she wasn't so good with words, she was decidedly feisty. He seemed to have that same trait, and for that, she allowed him more of her attention. The next months would be a game of choosing for her, and she was quick to rank those who were potentials. Their ranks would ebb and flow, she was sure, but those who proved themselves would be placed higher in her mind than those who did not. And the "proving" was not based on any one thing. Or anything at all, really. Fox sought somebody who could bring her strong children, but companionship would be nice, too. For a little while there, she had thought Haunter might be her chosen, but his departure proved her wrong.

She observed him as he drew closer, acknowledging Razo with a nod of her head, and pricking her ears forward when he began to speak. “Don’t you worry,” she replied, “There are plenty chasing this pretty red tail.” Fox doubted she would have to wait long for somebody else to show up and try and impress her with something or another. After a pause, she spoke again. “How has the creek treated you and your... companion?” Fox still wasn't quite sure what to make of the white-furred girl who had come along with Razo.

She very vainly assured him he needn’t worry and he laughed. I’ve known few young alphas who’ve had to chase their own tail, he imparted, as if he thought it was adorable for her to be stringing a plethora of eligible bachelors along and musing with amusement that part of their drooling at her feet was due to her rank, which implicitly contrived her as a prize to be coveted. He imagined the fur would fly in several months when she became receptive to the attempts of these suitors, but he was of the mind that he would likely not be around to see it happen. She certainly had a gigantic little head about it, which earned her a smirk of roguish approval from the tawny scoundrel. If she were humble he might have found her boring.

She went on to ask him how the Creek was treating him, as though it was supposed to one way or another by now, but her trailing off just as she mentioned Serengeti made a perfect excuse to dance around the answer. Oh, the white one? he asked dead-pan, giving the joke one last dash before he was quite sure enough was enough (even for him), flirting with her limits more than anything. He still didn’t know why he’d been summoned by the rusty-coloured little spitfire. You’d have to ask her. She isn’t my wife or my mother, so I’m not expected to call her every twenty minutes to find out how she’s doing.

Fox grinned at his response to her obvious high-headedness. She was of the mind that all of the boys would be after her next spring. Whether or not that turned out to be true was to be seen. She imagined that Njal and Tuwawi (as much as she adored the both of them) would choose to break off and plant their roots elsewhere when the time came again next year. Fox knew she would not be allowing them the same graces then as she was now. The only reason she'd been okay with it this year was because she had not been able to do it herself. It was good for the creek to have at least one new round of kiddos. It was a sign that they were strong and well-protected.

“I am curious about you two, though. What exactly brought you together with her? If you aren’t lovers and aren’t blood family, what are you?” Whether or not she did, Fox felt she had the right to know the relationships of her comrades. It seemed important for some reason or another. Besides, if there was any chance that Razo had the hots for her (no matter how much he denied it), Fox wanted to make sure to cross him off her mental list. Either that, or try and win him over.

Labels had always seemed important to those he’d come across in his life. If you didn’t fit into a nice, neat little box, you were essentially a conundrum to be cracked, and once you were cracked, you were no longer interesting at all. He didn’t care for riffling through the files of his history, and feeling honour-bound (or as close as he might ever get to it) he wouldn’t divulge Serengeti’s side of the story by extension. But Fox was asking, which inherently meant she was interested in some way, and that was surely something to say for a leader who he was in the presence of for the only the second time. It might also have been simple routine in checking up on the new recruits and deciding whether or not they were worth investing in and keeping around, but either way, he was expected to offer an answer that carried a bit of truth and perhaps a bit of weight.

Partners of convenience by circumstance, I suppose, is the easiest way to put it, he said. I also suppose that somewhere along the way I became a surrogate for something she lost. That was, her brother, or brothers plural, come to that, but of course he left it there. His tail swished side to side once in a wolfish form of assuring her that he was tolerant of her company, despite all other indications he put out. If you ask her very nicely for the story while you’re asking her how she’s finding the Creek, she just might tell you, he drawled knavishly, as a brilliantly eloquent way of dumping off all responsibility.

Fox could only assume that his answer meant that they were merely buddies. Friends of some sort brought together by some events that had led to them arriving at the creek. And really, that was as much as Fox wished to know. She still found it strange that they would not seek a land of their own to rule together. She thought they would have settled down and had children while they groomed others like Fox had done since the moment of Lethe's death. The thought that either of them may not want such responsibilities was beyond Fox's comprehension. She was driven by instinct to rule and procreate.

“I see,” she responded after a moment. “So what do you hope to accomplish here, with the creek?” she asked. “Merely to survive, or do you yearn for more?” Fox always tried to gauge what the goals of her comrades were so she might help them along (if possible) or kick them to the curb (if it threatened her livelihood in some way).

The only response Fox offered fell dull and flat. So she was curious, but not curious-curious. Not even slightly. It was just a show, a minor feigning of interest. Had he known her exact thoughts and the fact that she had only just then clued in to the obvious other option to the question, if not mates or related, then what?, it would have annoyed him. He would have blinked incredulously. As it was, he felt the drab edge of boredom approaching as she then proceeded to ask another question of which it appeared she did not really care to know the answer. If she had, she would have asked at the borders, where a question of that sort really belonged.

I intend to keep the caches brimming while I’m here, and if I find it fitting, I may stay, he answered rather coolly and slightly ambivalently. He wasn’t an excitable young foal eager to flaunt ambition haphazardly, and neither was he a mindless lout. He’d been in her ranks for less than a week and he barely knew her or the rest of the pack. He felt sure she wouldn’t take it personally. But if I only wanted to survive another season I would have stayed where I started, he assured her unabashedly. He had no desire yet to rush into it, but leadership was in his DNA and family tree; few of the Redefin line were naturally content to only follow.

Fox studied him as he spoke, noting the way that, unlike many of the males here, he lacked the bulk. Razo made up for it with sleek lines that suggested a different kind of strength. He was clever, something that Fox was not, and she often missed his attempts at sarcasm and wit. It was a shame, considering he likely thought them out well in advance and they washed over her like an ocean wave on a boulder. Fox was terrible when it came to subtlety. Not only portraying it, but picking up on it.

His answer was vague, but she assumed that he wanted to keep it that way. Fox was perpetually on the lookout for somebody to stand by her side. She would only ever promote her mate to be a fellow Alpha, for she had never known anything different. Her parents had been leaders, and their parents as well. It was the way of the wolf. “So what exactly would make you feel that the creek was ‘fitting’?” Fox asked. She had her eyes on him, though they were softer now.

So sorry for the wait! It occurred to me that this either has to take place the day after he joins or after the meeting. The former makes better sense, so this would take place on May 10.

He eyed her sharply and very slightly cagily as she advanced her inquiry. Razo had approved of her for getting to the main point when he’d been on the border, but the conversation now slowly spurred the suspicion that he was being put through an extended joining process in the stead of being greeted by a leader who asked a tedious number of insipid questions. While what Fox was doing now could be considered preferable, he was unused to the fact that he was being pursued, even in a very minor manner of speaking.

I haven’t found the quality anywhere else, but it’s characterised by the existence of potential, he said. He didn’t mention that potential also included his interest being held, but for the moment he wasn’t expecting anything of the sort. Jace for instance had come across as dour and drab, and although he’d initially been struck by the youth of Fox in contrast to her rank, his fascination was on the brink of ebbing. Instead, he went for the other obvious requirement of settling down with a pre-established pack over forming his own, in case he eventually found Swiftcurrent Creek to exude the appropriate level of potential. Adding to that, it would be gruesome to waste my good genes, he intoned languidly.

Fox eyed Razo curiously as he spoke, wondering what he meant by "potential." Although she hadn't known it, Fox had been drawn to it as well. It was why her voice had melded with Lethe's and Njal's on the day the creek had been spawned as a new home for her. But it was his second sentiment that made her ears perk up and a grin curl her lips. His "good genes" had not gone unnoticed by the yearling, and she had been keeping a close eye on him for that very reason. She had other options, of course, but she would make no decision until her time was much closer.

“I know the feeling,” she replied, “When spring comes around, I will be choosing a father for my children. Prove yourself worthy of such a task, and you may find your heritage put to good use.” Fox no longer skirted around the issue with him, now that his interest had been made clear. In time, she would make sure that each of the males knew what she wished for, and it would be up to them to win the rights to Swiftcurrent's heirs.

OOC: Slight powerplay. I'll address any changes you'd like in my next post. <3

He stared. Fox’s beauty was existent, certainly, and it had a wildly untamed appeal. Beyond that, however, he had yet to hear her say or see her do anything impressive, and there was really nothing extraordinary about Swiftcurrent Creek that he had found. While he made no move to push past the possibility, worthiness needed to be mutual in the case of a shared partnership in raising offspring. The idea that they might test each other in equal measure settled into his mind, and where he’d found no interest before, he found himself enticed. You feel sure you can handle a Redefin? he asked pointedly and sly-eyed. It was really rhetorical, but he was keen to hear her answer regardless.

Razo’s long, languid stride brought him closer so that he towered over her. He gave her a moment where he was silent (a rare accommodation), then asked, Just how did you become the pack’s leader? It was a boring question for her, he was certain, but he’d only met her the other day and he’d been intensely curious to find she was the one in charge. She could chase him out like an unwanted stray at any point if she felt so inclined, and he would let her. What exactly had put her there, aside from the loyalty of the rest of the pack that she had now?

She didn't answer his former question at first. If he had any doubts that she would be able to handle him... well, he probably wasn't a good fit, anyway. Then again, perhaps those doubts were good. It would give her a chance to prove that she did have what it took to "handle a Redefin," as he put it. Deciding better of answering, she replied with a, “If you can handle a Fox.” She, of course, lacked a surname. None were given to females from whence she came, as they were expected to go out into the world and make a name for themselves by partnering with another strong name outside of their own.

The male moved himself closer, though Fox did not budge from where she currently stood. Razo followed up with another question of which she loved to answer. In fact, she often went telling the story unprompted to anybody who would listen. Now that he had asked, she held back nothing. “My voice joined that of the first alpha here,” she replied, “Her name was Lethe. She was a good enough leader, I suppose. Good enough to capture my attention and keep me here for a little while.” The timing had been right, and Lethe had been worthy of her respect. “She wasn’t well, though. The lady threw her own life right into the pack’s namesake creek not a month after I had arrived.” Jinx had only just arrived at that point, and Tuwawi had yet to join them.

“When the tragedy occurred, I stepped up, and nobody challenged me.” And still, nobody had dared. Even Njal, who could have done it if he had tried, had remained her ever-loyal comrade. Perhaps the fact that he was allowed to bear kin here had something to do with that. If he'd been required to start out on his own, it was less likely that Tuwawi would have had any children at all this year. Fox had allowed him that, if only because she was unable to do the honors of giving the creek children.

There was a healthy pause that came before she spoke, which meant to him that she was interested enough to consider her answer instead of throwing one at him, and her retort elicited a thoroughly satisfied and knavish grin. I assume nothing, he’d then replied without lingering on the subject. He half-hoped she could handle him, and her minute stature did not necessarily mean he could handle a Fox/fox.

She allowed him close without moving a muscle and proceeded to answer the question posed to her with a level of detail he hadn’t expected. She unravelled what turned out to be a fairly fascinating story, from which he gleaned numerous details about her, particularly the bit about how she’d stayed because her interest had been held. He didn’t skip over the plot points either, and he firmly thought Lethe had probably done them all a favour by throwing herself into the river right along with all her instability.

It might have come down to the fact that she was vaguely perceptive enough to recognise that the rest of them were followers, but there was something he liked in her answer besides that. Given that teeny-tiny stature and her youth, it took a measure of moxie and steely backbone to reach for that very high place in front of others who likely did have earned confidence in their capabilities.

Bold move, he said seriously, tilting his head a little as he considered her with a little more of the approval he’d given her before although she’d done nothing but use her voice. Work smart, not hard, was in essence his modus operandi in life, and by abiding it she’d taken up prime status that could only be ripped from her by her own doing if her followers were really so loyal to her. Did you yawn when no wolf dared oppose you?

Fade with your next post? Or my next one?

“Yawn?” she asked, thinking on the word for a moment, “There was less yawning and more scrambling around trying to keep my feet underneath me.” Because while nobody had outright challenged her, she'd been required to gather their respect in some way or another. She had failed with Jinx, although that did not hurt her pride as much as it might have hurt some. The ghostly Kesuk had merely been destined for other things. In a way, perhaps the other lady had shown her respect more by setting out on her own rather than challenging Fox for the throne.

It was really a wonder nobody had tried the tactic regarding a place by her side, yet. While she was aware that she had plenty of suitors, none of them sans Razo had even voiced their opinions on the matter. (She wasn't sure if Perry counted, considering he resided somewhere else entirely.) Instead, they showed their affections in other ways. Doing things for the pack, bringing her fat rabbits, chatting with her here and there. It would take far more than that for the feisty young Alpha to be wooed.

“What do you say we go hunt down some grub?” she asked, standing and shaking her coat. It hadn't been terribly long since her last meal, but Fox was always up for a good chase, even if it didn't end in a feast.

Edit: Forgot to say: faded. :)

He had hoped she’d yawned, but he hadn’t anticipated the response she gave in contrast to the barefaced ego he’d witnessed first-hand. He found he grudgingly liked the awareness of it and decided that it was possible he had been right the first time when he had considered her on the border: she was interesting. The assessment would either dissolve or fortify, but until it reached one of those two outcomes it was likely to waver to and fro with his flighty moods. That she would surpass his wildest expectations whenever he cared to scrutinize her mind or skill was out of the question, but she didn’t need to. All that really stood to be proven was whether or not she kept him coming back for more and whether or not she complemented him. The examination was mutual.

He smoothly side-stepped with a gaze that slowly released itself from her features and his nose brushed against the stray tufts of grass along the otherwise barren patch of earth on which they stood. His avid sense of smell effortlessly picked up a vast array of possibilities, but none of them were quite satisfying when he’d been hunting teeny-tiny game since he’d arrived. Show me your skill and I’ll show you mine, he offered challengingly with gleaming eyes that drifted inevitably back to the fiery female and a double-entendre that was fully intended.

With that he set off at a lope, awaiting the flash of bright red at his tawny side and willing to be led by one who knew her territory better than he did.