Swiftcurrent Creek he said he had himself a dark-haired daughter, with long green eyes

little time had been wasted since the cur had been intercepted by @Aria and @Durnehviir. undaunted despite the heavily patrolled and clearly defined borders, thorn approached the creek once more.

this time, the dark warrior carried with him the frozen limb of the very moose he and @Stigmata had labored to cache. mindful to stay outside of the creek’s boundary, thorn placed the limb into the snow and carefully shoved snow upon it with his muzzle. traipsing around the small cache, he rolled and left his mark upon it indelibly — and then the brute threw back his head in a summoning howl for the pale-faced aria so that she might witness the first of his courting’s efforts.

he did not test his luck by lingering in plain view. leaving an easily tracked trail in the snow, thorn headed for the river and tentatively waited for any answering howl or presence.

Lothario had returned, it would seem. The boy beckoned for the pale she-wolf, drawing a derisive snort from the regal; she had not gone with him before, but he was clearly intent on the icy-eyed woman. Constantine couldn’t blame him—he once had been, too. He still was, if he would be honest with himself. The idea of loving two women, though, and hurting them both was enough to seal his lips into secrecy.

The swarthy wolf made himself known first. The brazen wolf was not stupid enough to remain by his gift, and as the fiery-eyed male cast his eyes outward, he then smoothed his form upon the frozen ground, one paw swinging heavily onto the moose limb as his nose pushed the snow from it—and there he took a grand bite—his senses alert to whether the male would challenge him or not.

aria did not come.

thorn heard a wolf approach — and from the heavy tread alone, knew it was not the vixen he sought. the steps were assured, not that aria’s hadn’t been — and the wind shared with him the news that the beast that approached shared the same scent as the scents that reinforced the current’s claim.

thorn drew his brutish head from cover, and with an indolent slouch met the man that boldly claimed aria’s gift. he measured constantine with the barest of glances, his expression wry - for he had never had to turn down a man before.

there was a first time for everything, right? surely constantine would understand he wasn’t exactly thorn’s type.. he preferred way less action under the hood, personally.

well this is awkward. the male announced, feeling his tail prick in a slight curve above his hocks. didn’t take you to be a fairy, but sorry chief - i don’t swing for the other team. that’s for the pretty white thing in the creek.

he delivered his most winsome smile - which in truth was really more of a stupid grin.

The wolf made himself known—his thick head popped up, and the Mayfair considered with quiet calculation the size of the other, which was indeed impressive. If it came to it, an altercation that turned violent could indeed end with the death of the other. And if this wolf was bothering Aria, Constantine would not hesitant to begin that dance.

Still, amusement pulled itself to his lips at the wolf’s assumption—either he was quite the fan of himself, or he was trying to make light of the situation.

Bending his muzzle down, Constantine tore another strip of meat from the leg, chewing it for a silent moment before swallowing and answering. “You’re pretty set at stealing away a she-wolf of Swiftcurrent Creek.” He paused, his stocky form beginning to lift from the ground and stand at full height. Which was smaller than Romeo. “Why?”

The mention of Aria stirred his hackles, but he forced the reaction away—more intent on something else he noticed upon the dark wolf. “You smell like Mahler. Did he send you here?”

Feel free to skip Durnehviir, she'd just observing.  :P

When a familiar summons called Constantine away, Durnehviir followed his trail. She held no desire to part from him just yet and, despite his prints leading through the snow toward the edge of Swiftcurrent's claim where she feared she might be most vulnerable, she knew she could rely on the swarthy leader to defend her. He would have to, even if he continued to resent her for her mistrust, if he wished to ensure the potentially new life in her womb to be by him alone.

She hung back, watching quietly as her dark companion uncovered fresh meat and helped himself, and lifted her gaze to study the bold stranger's reaction. He certainly was a persistent boy, as he openly announced his interest in Aria, and she felt her lip twitch in annoyance. Her gaze returned to Constantine then, suddenly more curious for how he might respond to the possibility of another courting the girl that Durnehviir so often worried losing him to.

Thankfully, he didn't bristle defensively at the mention of her, and instead calmly questioned the other male's second brave attempt at claiming a Swiftcurrent wolfess.

thorn was not a man made to balk at physical interaction- yet even then, he hoped that the dark canine before him would not test his resolve. for as confident as the black wraith was in his capabilities, he was through and through a wolf buoyed by his own instincts — and senseless bloodshed was often avoided in his kind. 

he watched with a minor prickle of annoyance as the male continued to consume aria’s gift. perhaps it was the stalwart alpha’s attempt to goad him, or perhaps an attempt to undermine thorn’s bold advances. he made no move to deter the beast further, for a second pair of watchful eyes fell upon him. 

the russet woman from the day before. but was she watching him, or Constantine..? thorn noted her presence, but said nothing, instead composing himself to answer the burly alpha’s query. 

and you seem rather interested in eating her gift. aren’t you worried it’ll go to your hips? a dredged smile remained on his blackened jaws. i came of my own accord, as is our birthright. does your pack not observe such customs? how do you keep the line pure?

Speaking to @Durnehviir, skippable until Durnehviir posts again.

Clinging to the shadows, as usual, Ruenna glided toward the sound of the summons for no other reason but to satisfy her curiosity. It was likely she would have remained in the shadows, watching Constantine square off with Thorn, if the agouti woman hadn't appeared. The presence of another female emboldened Rue, and the champagne woman slipped forward to draw even with Durnehviir. 

"I know him," she offered quietly, so only the agouti woman would hear. "Thorn Eyjolfur, from Diaspora." But why was Thorn here, so obviously attempting to court some unknown Creek woman? Had Stigmata barred him from seeking a mate among his own packmates? If so... what on earth made him believe he would have better luck here, within Constantine's dominion?

aria approached -- late. and only because she was intrigued. she recognized the howl this time, and had to know... why had he returned? aria hardly caught the tail end of the conversation, she didn't know that they were talking about her. only that they were talking about a female, and that ruenna knew him. and that she had been the only other female -- besides durnehviir to show up along the borders the last time he came. 

silent interest crept through her breast, and the prick of constantine's words from the other day. aria came forwards, quietly, her nose twitching, ears pressed forwards. her gaze rested solely on the dark man from the other pack, but she hung back. 

constantine was here.

aria turned and swept herself from the scene, but was not far off.

cameo, aria won't be posting again here ~

The hint of a lopsided smirk ghosted upon his features, nosing at the gift once more, seeing if he could continue to get under the dark wolf’s skin further. “I hope it does,” he returned, his tone smooth despite his deep rumble. All the better to hip check you with my dear, for even laying eyes on my creek, he thought darkly.

At the question, the dark mercenary began to rise, his tense muscles flexing as his eyes grazed over the male. The unknown male was wise to keep his distance—Constantine might have been humored for the moment, but his patience would run thin quite fast if the wolf continued to harass his pack mates.

“Keep the lines pure?” He paused, a snort of amusement escaping him. “We are not blood-related here. I assume that where you’re from, you are?” Had he still been at Donnelaith, with his numerous siblings, he could certainly see the appeal of trying to lure a she-wolf from another pack to his side. Instead, he had pined after one and had wasted his more youthful years being too afraid to speak up.

This brazen youth didn’t have that issue—and there was no doubt in the Mayfair’s mind that after their explosive discussions as of late, Aria would only be too happy to follow Mahler’s wolf back to wherever he was from.

still the black wraith kept his distance, even as the shadowrunner rose and advanced towards him. his muscles were coiled, responsive and ready for any sign of assault -- thorn earnestly believed the longer he stayed, the harder he would be pushing his luck.

constantine's snort was met with a heavy frown, but the male said nothing until the creek's stalwart alpha had finished. it surprised him to learn a sedentary pack shared little blood -- an itinerant pack, he could at least understand, as they had the proclivity to pick up stragglers as they went along. but packs with firm borders and little travel often became isolated enough that before long, each wolf was a relative or, coupled with one.

he took a step back, deciding his time here was drawing to a close. he did not wish to test his ability against so fearsome a creature, "it does not matter." thorn answered, ears pulled back. "enjoy the gift."

ready then to quit the imposing male's presence entirely, thorn hesitantly turned his back to the brute, and prepared for the trip home.