Swiftcurrent Creek when i first met tom mccannon, i was working in the mines

just thorn being a horndog - feel free to chase him off!! ❤

thorn had made good on stigmata's blessing, tending to his new task with an ardent seriousness that was unusual even for the humorless eyjolfur. stigmata's females, tempting as they were, were not pursued by thorn -- instead, he set his sights outward and roved the hills adjacent to diaspora's claim.

there was a pack he had skirted just beyond the river, and the brute decided they would receive his first visit. cacheing a few small items (a rabbit's foot, a collection of raptor feathers, and the rotted haunch of a wolverine) just before the river that separated wapun from the creek, thorn rose from his burrowing and nimbly breasted the rushing waters.

he was still outside of swiftcurrent's claim, but he could scent here and there distant deposits of urine and scent. he would not be so bold as to slither through their territory, but he was so bold as to pace just outside of it. at intervals the hound threw back his broad head, and a low, crooning song parted from his lips -- tender and full of invitation for any females in the vicinity.

aria didn't follow the sound in hopes of finding a fine looking, broad shouldered man. she followed it instead with a furrowed brow and an agitated expression. who did things like that? just waltz over to other packs and asked for women to approach? oh... she would show him a woman. fine-figured and butterfly-eyed. but aria was no prize to be won, and she was certainly no easy target. 

she approached the dark man with an intense gaze, pale iris' locked onto his features, posture dominant. this was her land. well, constantine's land, but she was part of the pack whether she liked it or not, and she would defend it for her closest friend until she need not anymore. 

she faltered of course, when she realized he was actually quite handsome -- and she suddenly wished not to be so cold and unapproachable... but her first, knee-jerk reaction still stood. he seemed like kind of a dick. "what do you want?" she asked, ears flicking forwards.

thorn's song did not go unheeded. from across the creek a pale figure emerged, carrying herself in a confident, assertive manner. the brute dropped his posture, his head held carefully lower than hers. from her frame alone, he assumed her to be the alpha -- and likely, had come to chase him from her borders.

instead, she stopped -- thorn allowed himself a brief moment to discretely study her. she was his near opposite in build and fur color, sporting a thick fluffy pelt and silver-moon eyes that settled on him with a hint of annoyance. her question caused his brow to furrow -- for was it not obvious why he was here? his kind was known to disperse from their packs in early winter to locate a mate -- and males often traveled many miles to find a suitable partner to court. by late spring their bonds would be deeply secured, and by early summer they often had their whelps take their first steps outside of the den.

he kept his gaze slanted to the ground, his posture submissive. "a mate." he answered transparently, wondering if he ought to be prepared to run.

he was so forward! aria was almost taken aback, had she not almost expected it from him. she was quiet, pondering, unsure of what to say to him. she wanted to tell him no... to get lost. but, she had so many questions...

"from here?" she asked him. her chin lifted, daintily, subconsciously, as she studied him further. in the back of her head, forge new relationships screamed at her. it burned into her skull and threatened to write itself upon her heavily knitted brow. she forced it down. she did not need constantine's stubbornness telling her what to do now of all times. "why?"

To be home on Swiftcurrent territory had brought Durnehviir some relief. It had been wonderful to reunite with her remaining offspring, despite Talos' frostiness and the discomfort that loomed over the boys. Viinturuth's absence was felt sorely by each of them, she was certain, but none had ventured to question their pale brother's whereabouts.

Her cuts and scratches had healed well, but she could not say the same for her tender heart. She and Constantine's relationship remained entirely lost to her; the swarthy Mayfair had ensured that she be fed, but failed to share her company for long. It was a topic she longed to bring to light before him, and it was fear that kept her silent on the matter. To be with him was awkward, but the dragoness knew that these fleeting intervals were probably more than she could've hoped for.

Once Swiftcurrent's Queen and now swept to the bottom of the hierarchy, Durnehviir maintained distance from her pack-mates as she struggled to fit into her new position. She found herself wandering along the water's edge when an unfamiliar voice rose from nearby, and paused to cant a ginger lobe in its direction to listen. Frustration rose to her throat in the form of a low rumble as she realised the intention behind the stranger's call and, despite her low rank, the need to defend remained strong.

When she saw him, the russet wolfess' feathered tail flagged over her haunches as she strode forward. Crimson hackles bristled atop her shoulders, focus set beyond Aria's form to that of the rogue, and her lip curled back to reveal a warning flash of fangs. She supposed he might feel like luck was on his side to see not only one but two females respond to him so swiftly, but he would be sorely mistaken if he thought his howl had tempted her to mate.

once more thorn's features darkened in confusion; did this alabaster siren not know how courting worked? his ears swept backwards in quiet dismay to learn her instincts had been so heavily buried by societal construct. "that is how it has always been," he answered, his voice level despite the mild disappointment he felt. "can't be courting your cousins, can you?"

his gaze lifted up then at the attempt of humor, only to catch the flash of sharp ivory and deep crimson. another she-wolf approached, but her posture was far more uninviting than aria's.

feeling his luck was about to expire, the male flagged his tail to his hocks in response and rose, ready to turn and lope off if the firebrand flashed her fangs again.

durnehviir came behind her, and aria flashed a glance her way as the firebrand flashed her teeth his. though she herself was not welcoming, aria felt strange that such a display was given behind her. aria suddenly found herself at a clashing of actions. did she remand the respect she deserved as a higher rank, or did she submit to the intimidation that she often felt beneath durnehviir? especially after the conversation she'd had with constantine... aria struggled. 

in a bold display, aria raised her tail, signaling for durnehviir to silence -- though the action horrified her. "are you asking to bring a female back to your home, or join our ranks and search?" she asked now to the man, who looked ready to leave. maybe she should've just let him go... oh it would've been so much easier to just let him go.

Though Aria looked her way, Durnehviir's stare was fixed to the bold stranger in anticipation of his response. Thankfully, he seemed prepared to back away, and the crimson she-wolf sheathed her fangs. Her hardened stare continued to linger on his dark features, however, and her silence spoke volumes: get lost.

It didn't matter to her that the ivory dove maintained a higher title. For all the bitterness and mistrust Durnehviir felt toward her, she had not approached to assert herself but instead to defend. Swiftcurrent's previous mating season had resulted in more bastard litters by subordinates than she'd have liked and while she no longer stood as its Alphess, the dragoness was even more unprepared to rear cub's sired by males out with their hierarchy.

Aria spoke up in question, and the mere sound of her voice was enough to grate her. She twitched a lip, feeling the question unnessecary, for the rogue had surely made his intention clear enough? He sought to mate, and had come looking in the wrong place as far as Durnehviir was concerned. Nostrils flared, she regarded Constantine's favoured comrade only with a flick of a lobe before she made to turn away. To look upon her would reveal the resentment she was unable to mask, and it was easier to bow out before either female let their temper flare in a situation where they should've supported one another.

She probably wanted him atop her, she thought cruelly as she padded from the duo without looking back.

The howl drew the man’s hackles along his back—the audacity to such a call causing a low snarl to echo in his chest as he began to lope toward the borders. Dispersal was a common thing during this season—but he wanted to see who would be tempted by the unknown Lothario’s song. In truth, he expected to see Chusi there.
 
The swarthy wolf passed an enraged Durnehviir, one ear flicking in question as she sank back in to the territory. There was a beat of relief from the man—until he saw Aria looking onward to the large black brute across the creek, with what he assumed was interest.
 
The shadowrunner stalked forward, his presence offering dark tension as he sized up the mountain wolf. Sidling up near the pale woman, and yet allowing her space. She was not his to claim. She had never wished of that from him.
 
His tail arced higher, his broad muzzle swinging upward as his nostrils flared, trying to catch scent of the brazen wolf and where he might belong to. He would not stop one of his females leaving to procreate and be with another, if that was what they wished. But he also wasn't going to let this wolf from his sight, lest he force himself upon one of his own if they denied him.

omg! shadowposted!! just edited

the black hound was outnumbered, and so he reluctantly prepared his leave. the newest arrival seemed particularly hellbent, and thorn had no intentions of letting his hide come between her teeth.

he had begun to turn when the svelte she-wolf’s posture changed, ordering the apparent subordinate to stand down. thorn himself found his frame bending under her iron command, his gaze flickering almost guiltily to the flame-doused vixen; he caught a look of fiery resentment on her features as she turned.

perhaps he was not in risk of being chased off after all.

careful not to meet the icy silver of aria’s gaze, thorn dutifully threw his answer down before her — once again, confused that so much of her instinct had been hammered from her. yet before he could summon an answer, a new phantom arrived on the scene.

thorn tensed, bracing himself in case the brute proved hostile. thus far, the new male only aligned himself alongside the soft-furred she-wolf that had caught thorn's eye. he noticed, perhaps with a smug semblance of relief, that the swarthy brute did not touch the she-wolf.

raking his gaze across the male that had come to (rightly and intelligently) put an end to thorn's interloping, the eyjolfur made up his mind. as pretty as aria was (and so pretty -- how well she would complement him, if they ever stood side-to-side!), she was not worth losing his throat over. there would be other days to come court her.

he threw back his head in answer, and a low, keening song pressed from his throat. once it tapered off into a sultry finish, the brute lowered his muzzle and turned to leave.

no matter if aria cared to have him court her or not -- she was always girlish in that way, that she secretly adored attention and drama (of this kind). but the option was stolen from beneath her paws as constantine, bold and dominant, appeared behind her. 

and off went the man, dark and strange but... intriguing all the same. aria, suddenly enraged, whipped around to see her alpha, pale gaze on fire. "you tell me to go off and forge my own relationships but are here, making a decision for me?" her tail lashed, but she did not show her teeth at him, as much as she might have wanted to.

The wolf mooned over Aria from afar—Constantine’s sudden appearance seeming to stop the more youthful wolf from mingling any closer. The crooning note of longing Thorn released caused Constantine’s brows to shoot upward more, watching the flick of their visitor’s tail as he finally parted from their view.

Before he could comment, the pale dove whirled upon him, fury blazing in her eyes as she cast a withering stare at him, causing his own fiery eyes to harden in turn. “I came to see what the hell was happening at my borders.” He snorted, pulling away from her proximity, his pace like that of a panther. “So don’t blame me for scaring off your delicate little boyfriend.”

she exclaimed as he pulled away from her, furious, "that's not the point!" he knew what he did, and she knew that he knew what he did.  her tail lashed, the fur along her shoulders bristling. she watched him as he went, not believing how he'd been treating her the last few days. never mind the victim complex she had worked up in her head, if he was going to get mad at her for anything, he couldn't get mad at her for doing what she'd told him to do. 

in turn, aria whipped around and stalked off in the entirely opposite direction.