Lost Creek Hollow I'm just doin' my job here.

Tag just for reference, so ya know he's doing what he's supposed to haha

After a third visit to the site, Joss believed that he'd finally begun to make decent progress with the den that @Treason had required him enlarge. It was tough going, digging through frozen earth in the middle of winter, but this, he supposed, was a half-decent punishment for what he'd done, even though he still believed he'd simply made a mistake and shouldn't have been punished so heavily for it. Then again, it was either this or have a chunk chewed out of his side, and he knew that by now, had he chosen that as his consequences, he'd be dead. So alive but tired, he chose to fulfill his punishment and visited Treason's den, gradually making progress while she was away. 

He was now at the point where he'd been staring at the inside of the den long enough that he now had no idea exactly how much bigger he needed to make it. It was hard for a wolf like him to know anyway- given the fact that he was so much smaller than Treason. It was definitely large enough for him, if he were to have a little of pups in there with himself- but he had to consider the fact that the wolf who would actually be giving birth was twice his size, and would also possibly have a mate with her, and then god knows how many pups. It made his head spin; there was no way he'd be able to get the den big enough by Spring then, would he? But he was simply doubting himself; already, the den was big enough for a mother and her pups. He would only need to do a bit more to make it comfortable enough for two adults plus pups. 

Exhausted, though, he pulled himself from the den and started kicking the dirt away from the entrance, so that Treason wouldn't have a mound of frozen rubble right outside the mouth of her den when she came back. Once he'd scattered the dirt around enough, he flopped down on his side, glad to feel the cold snow against his ribs so that he could cool down and take a break.

some bitterness over indra had driven the boy from his den; he stalked through the hollow with the air of one who must whet his teeth or explode. she had not come back, and though merrick had not been waiting around for his mother to return, her betrayal had deepened. henceforth, he decided he had no mother, nor father. only nunataq, and soon he would withdraw from her too, expecting that his sister would abandon him also.
but for now, she was all he had, and merrick stayed close when he was able, though not so close as to be an annoyance. today she was off doing whatever she wished, and he was alone with his anger.
there was a skinny wraith of a creature near a half-finished den, and merrick drew near. the air of the other wolf bespoke a low place in the hierarchy, and though the boy himself had yet to join the adult ranks, he knew instinctually that this creature was below him.
and so he approached with a growl, hoping to harry the man to his feet, copperplate eyes burning into a threat.

It wasn't long, following his decision to take a break from digging, that he found himself being watched by a pair of eyes, flashing amber when struck by the light that filtered down through the tree branches. The wolf approaching him looked young, and he was immediately reminded of Nunataq- the surly, envious, wretch of a youngster that had seen fit to torture him not so long ago. This, surely, was her brother- and he immediately found himself despising the brood, if they were in fact related...They had to be. They looked close in age, and both sported the same kind of look about them. 

The young male approached him with a growl, and Joss wasn't terribly intimidated, but he knew that he couldn't very well fight back or defend himself...Still, he hated that this place seemed to grow youngsters with sociopathic tendencies, those who chose to pick on the weak rather than simply letting them be. He'd been working all day for Treason, and was too tired to defend himself, anyway. So, with a slight huff, he stood up, glowering at the young male, and began to sidle away, all the time keeping the youngster in his peripheral vision just in case he tried something funny.

what joss thought of as sociopathy was merely the result of merrick learning his own place in the hierarchy. however, had he known the inner machinations of this particular boy's mind, he might have had his suspicions confirmed. merrick had no empathy for a living thing outside of nunataq, and even that was conditional — he would love her until she abandoned him. it was then a choice to care, and if he was left again, it was not a choice he would make.
satisfied by the way the scraggly creature crept away from his warning, the young coywolf sheathed his fangs and adopted a stance only slightly less threatening. "what are you doing?" he inquired in a monotone, moving forward to sniff at the excavated dirt. it was clear the man was digging, but why? for what reason?

When he was addressed, Joss stopped and turned slightly, eyeing the youth he already associated with the unruly behavior of Nunataq; and Joss wasn't one for giving second chances, normally. But this fellow hadn't even had his first chance, technically. He was referring to the den which was obviously Treason's. Those who didn't know about the position Joss had put himself into had every right to know why it was that someone like him was hanging around in this area. Joss had avoided the area as long as he could, hoping Treason might just forget about him, but that hadn't panned out very well. 

He gestured with a deft motion of his little chin to the den. "Making Treason's den bigger." He said. "Her orders." There; so at least he had a reason to be there. The younger wolf examined the digging he'd done, and he was half prepared to see the boy start scuffing dirt back into the den- but that was because Joss always expected the worst from other wolves, but because Merrick seemed like the type to actually do that.

her orders.
settling on his haunches, merrick carefully watched each of the man's movements, from the pull of his limbs, to the guarded expression of the haunted beast. he had not known the leaders to simple demand something from a hollow wolf; therefore, this creature had done something to warrant a punishment. given the wolf's crouching body and generally wary demeanour, merrick could only assume he was far beneath himself in hierarchy.
"what did you do?" he asked, copperburned eyes unblinking as he lay them upon the other's form. there was no reason to assume social niceties with a basic outcast, and if the man glanced his way, the young wolf would hold his eyes.

Joss wanted the young fellow to leave. He asked the question that practically every wolf in the pack had already asked him and he was led to wonder if they ever spoke to one another. How many wolves had he told now? Or was his existance being ignored so much that most who met him simply pretended that he didn't exist? He rolled his eyes and frowned, and shrugged one shoulder. He didn't particularly want to have to explain himself to a younger wolf; especially if this one was related to Nunataq. 

"Treason's business, not yours." He said simply. He gestured toward the den. "Was taking a break...You should prolly let me get back to work." He said, glancing toward the young man whose gaze was level and even. Yeh, this kid knew he was more respected than Joss was. Still- Treason's orders, even filtered through their lowest member, had to mean something, right? He gave a flick of his muzzle, hoping the silent gesture would be enough to send the young fellow on his way, and get him away from the den he was trying to dig for their leader.

merrick kept his gaze watchful, choosing silently not to heed the indications of the other creature. if he had been assigned a task, he would tend it regardless of the boy's presence. and so merrick backed some few feet and settled himself. "so work."
if treason had any problem with the young wolf overseeing the job she had given the punished wolf, then he would expect to be addressed by her. not for nothing was he like this; merrick had been born to leadership. and although indra had left him, a knowledge that still caused merrick to smart in the early hours, he upheld himself as the princeling of the hollow.
stare cooled significantly — the boy was no longer willing to bandy words, and would enforce treason's law himself, for no other reason but amusement.

Joss watched as the younger male moved back, but he didn't leave altogether, as Joss had hoped. He pouted slightly as the youth then ordered him (more or less anyway, though there was something of a sarcastic invitation there as well, if he wasn't mistaken) to continue doing his job. Truthfully, Joss had hoped that Merrick would leave so that he could lay down and rest again; he wasn't quite as caught up on strength as he'd wanted to be, but he couldn't very well back out now that he'd said what he was going to do. 

He simply gave the darker wolf a nod and moved forward, slinking past him the way a battered dog might slink past an abusive owner's foot, and into the mouth of the den so that he could continue working on the inside of it. He angled himself so that his haunches were positioned toward the back of the den- so should the young male decide to try and ambush him in a small dark place where no one could see him, at least he'd have to face him fangs first.

the man did not try to urge merrick away again, instead beginning his work with the air of a ragged beast. truth be told, the boy had no intention of attacking the omega. it was the movement of the other's body that held the coywolf's attention, the way he deferred to merrick as no one else did.
it reminded the boy he had power, and that he would only gain more as he grew older. but merrick also understood that soon he would bump up against the hierarchy rigidly enforced by the leadership. did he want to lead? he did not suppose so, but he was young, perhaps too young to know.
and so merrick was silent, ears cupped forward as he drank in each of the other's efforts inside the den.