Neverwinter Forest these streets

for anyone :) pack mate or loner or whoevvaaaa <3 It was strange to think that he – the lanky, nomad hybrid – was now the Captain of an actual, for real pack. Prior to encountering the silver-eyed stranger Styx Constantin believed that he was better off on his own, and that packs led to nothing but trouble. The majority of the wolves he had crossed paths with had not ended well, which was part of the reason why the pirate preferred to be on his own. His mother, who had blessed him with her coyote heritage, had lived her own life as a rogue after being rejected by the wolf who had stolen her heart. He had refused to accept her into his pack – mainly due to the fact that he already had a mate – and since then his mother had avoided all wolves. When he and his siblings reached their first birthday she forced them to embrace their life on their own, which Styx had accepted with open paws. Being on his own and leaving his family behind was precisely what the hybrid had wanted – and still wanted. Even though the mutt would prefer to be on his own he somehow wound up as an Alpha with the coffee-coloured Kat at his side. It didn’t seem real – how did he allow someone to persuade him into being part of a pack? Not only just to be a part of a pack, but at the top; the one giving orders and establishing rules. It was surreal and Styx often felt as though he was living someone else’s life. If it wasn’t for Kat’s help the spider-legged hybrid would be floundering – his knowledge of packs was minimal; almost non-existent. The silver-eyed female had grown up in a pack, which was why she was the perfect partner for the snarky yearling. Although he would never admit it aloud – especially to her – they balanced each other out with their completely different personalities. While she had seemed outgoing and energetic during their former meetings Styx knew there was something not being said – but he did not pry. Just because they led a pack together didn’t necessarily mean they were close to each other. He still had much to learn about her, and vice versa. A sigh slipped past his lips as he rolled his shoulders, pointed muzzle lifted slightly to catch any unfamiliar scents lingering nearby. Neverwinter was growing in numbers but Styx still wasn’t properly acquainted with all the wolves who called the Forest their home. He knew them by name – which was rare for the hybrid, as he usually by-passed names when meeting strangers – but not by who they were. He couldn’t help but wonder if they were any who had been wrongfully accepted into the pack, by either himself or Kat. Mistakes happened and first impressions were often misleading, but Styx Constantin would never know if any mistakes were made if he didn’t properly introduce himself to his Crew. Weaving between the trees, the Captain patrolled the perimeter of the territory, tail curled high above his hindquarters. He was not sure who he was seeking out today – perhaps the presence of one of his packmates, or that of a rogue lingering outside the territory line. For now, Styx was content just being on his own – which had become difficult since establishing the pack.

After her encounter with Daenarys, a sense of guilt and shame hung so heavily on Turquoise that she couldn't bear to return to Rivet just yet. Instead, she spent the following day or so scouting the territory, trying to make herself useful. When her lover howled for her questioningly, she howled back, telling Rivet she would be home soon. Yet still she refused to head back yet, as she hadn't figured out what to say and do, if anything at all.

Abruptly, she found herself crossing paths with Styx, the pack's Alpha male. "Oh, hey," she muttered distractedly. Her gemstone eyes then focused and she seemed to remember herself. Her head dropped a few inches as she acknowledged the leader. "Afternoon, cap'n," she said lightly.

Although she usually didn't make nice with males, there were a few reasons why Turquoise behaved so genially toward him. First of all, he was an authority figure, and some level of respect was almost instinctual. Secondly, she wanted to be on the Alpha's good side, to preserve her place in the pack and hopefully move up the ladder one day. And, lastly, after her encounter with Daenarys, Turq didn't currently trust herself around females. Today, a guy was actually preferred.

The dark hybrid felt confined to the territory that he and his coffee-coloured partner had claimed – it was a strange feeling, and Styx Constantin was struggling to adapt to his new lifestyle. He knew that it was absurd to feel so restricted, as he could do whatever he pleased as the Alpha of Neverwinter, but it haunted the far corners of his mind. After accepting Kat’s ridiculous idea to create a pack together his life had changed drastically – the gangly yearling felt as though he was betraying his personal beliefs by agreeing to her proposition. While it went against everything he had ever believed in, Styx saw his leadership position as a challenge. He had succeeded – no, excelled – in being a rogue, but being a member of a pack was something completely different. It was hard to believe how much the band of misfits had grown since its creation. Loners seemed to flock to the new pack and Styx could hardly remember all their names as he accepted them. It was a habit that was difficult for the mutt to break – he had always avoiding sharing names with strangers as he believed that it was not necessary. Now, unfortunately, getting to know the canines in his pack – along with the ones attempting to join – was necessary. Styx did not want to make mistakes and accept the wrong wolf into his crew; they worked together as a unit, and the Captain did not need a bad seed ruining that. Before the sandy-coloured female came into view the spider-legged pirate caught her scent on the wind, dark brows narrowing as he changed his direction, pointed ears standing tall above his head. While most would think that the relationship between Turquoise and her partner, Rivet, was strange the thin Captain thought that there was nothing wrong with it. Of course, as a narcissistic male, Styx believed that the ravishing women should be drooling over him but he had nothing negative to say about the bond they shared. A frown creased his dark lips as she spoke, head cocking to one side as he studied the bright-eyed female for a moment. While he barely knew the slender female Styx had gathered enough from their first encounter to know that Turquoise was definitely not herself. Something was up and as an Alpha he should figure out what that was… right? Was that what he was supposed to do? To care? Gross. “Hey, Turq.” His greeting was short as his tailed curled above his hindquarters, a wiry grin working its way onto his maw as he kept his seafoam gaze focused on the pale Gunner. “How have things been since our last meeting?” He was curious as to what was eating the Sigma – the light tone she had used had taken him off guard, as he had expected a snarky greeting in its place.

If Styx found her demeanor weird in any way, he didn't mention it. He returned her greeting, then made a generic inquiry. Her lips pursed and she stared at a spot beyond his shoulder for a moment, trying to decide whether she should divulge her issues to her boss or keep a tight lid on them. Her inner voice warned her that she would regret it if she confessed her problems, yet sometimes Turq couldn't deny her impulses in the heat of the moment.

"I'm not fitting in very well," she practically blurted. Crap, she thought when she realized how bad that sounded when said out loud. "I mean, I'm doing everything I should be doing—getting out there, meeting people, doing Gunner stuff—but I'm not..." Her gemstone eyes seemed to wobble as she searched for the right word. "I don't know—fitting in?" Well, that was redundant.

She shifted her weight uncomfortably, already stating to regret this admission. "I swear I'm trying to be a good pack mate. I'm doing my job and everything. I just don't seem to be meshing with the other, ah, members of the crew." She thought of Dany's face and felt it necessary to add, "And it's not even like I'm fighting with everyone. It's not even like that..." Vaguely aware of how ambiguous that sounded, she tried to think of a better way to explain that her encounter with Dany hadn't been bad, per se, but her words failed her and she lapsed into a cagey silence.

As the sandy-coloured female began to speak the ebony Captain was surprised at how open she was. While the hybrid was prone to being outspoken, he was also extremely reserved; he did not trust others, which was why he tended to avoid giving out his name, and was not fond of making friends. He hardly shared what he was thinking with others as the mutt deemed it unimportant – they did not need to know his personal business. The only canine Styx could see himself possibly sharing his thoughts with was Katrina, and that was because they led a pack together. In order to ensure that the pack remained strong they would have to share ideas – if not, Neverwinter could potential suffer because of their indifference toward each other. Not only did her honesty seem strange, but so were the comments she made. She wasn’t fitting in well? Styx hardly believed that to be true, as the jewel-eyed female seemed to be a very personable wolf. Surely there must have been one bad encounter with a fellow crew mate that had left Turquoise feeling so flabbergasted. Considering that the ebony Captain somewhat liked the peculiar female, he was somewhat bothered by what she had told him. “You are a firecracker, Turquoise. It may take some longer than others to get properly acquainted with you,” he responded with a quick wink, a thin smile falling onto his dark maw. “Anything happen that I should know about?” Styx wanted his pack members to get along with each other as their harmony added to the balance of the pack – he would not tolerate a bad egg among his ranks.

When Styx called her a firecracker, a little laugh burst from Turquoise's lips. "Funny that you should say that. Rivet's family used to call her that. She used to be more fiery than she is these days. I mean, she still has it, but it doesn't make an appearance very often anymore..." When she realized about whom she was speaking, Turquoise's tongue suddenly felt thick and she stopped talking abruptly.

"No, no, no, it's nothing like that," she said hastily, not sure what that might mean, exactly. "I just had an awkward encounter with the new girl, Dany. It's, ah, creating friction, I guess," which wasn't even necessarily true yet. Turquoise hadn't even spoken to Rivet about it. It was all hypothetical and Turq knew she was jumping the gun, but she couldn't help it.

"Shit, it's nothing you can help with, really," Turq said, trying to shove the spotlight back off herself. "How are you and Kat-with-a-K doing? I haven't met her yet. Is she around?" Her black-rimmed ears pricked with sudden expectation and she gazed around hopefully, as if the Alpha pair always happened to be within so many feet of one another and it was only a matter of spotting the dominant female.

ugh i love turq so much, if she wasn't into chicks styx would be all ova dat At first, when the jewel-eyed female announced that Rivet had been called the firecracker Styx Constantin thought that she was joking – there was no way that the introverted Rivet could be considered a firecracker. But, it did make sense – he barely knew the shadowy female, as their first meeting had been rather brief as it had been while Styx was still a loner. He was still very much the same, but unfortunately the pirate now had responsibilities he had to attend to. Fortunately for the former nomad, his adjustment to being a pack leader was a lot easier than he had anticipated. Some aspects still remained difficult – especially when it came to sharing his name and having to converse with his pack members regularly. “Hard to believe,” he commented with a crooked smile, his bright eyes focused on the sandy-coloured female. After her comment about Rivet, the Gunner began to hurriedly explain what had happened with another crew member – a female, Daenerys, that Styx briefly remembered meeting. He was surprised that he had managed to remember the pale female’s name, as the hybrid had a horrible habit of forgetting names – along with faces. While being a loner it had never been important to the coywolf, but unfortunately now it was. Which was stupid. “Shit, it’s nothing you can help with, really…” A frown creased his dark lips at her comment, brows furrowing defensively. “Things always work themselves out, Turq. Friction is only temporary, and if it’s only one member you’ve had ‘problems’ with, than I’m sure you’re fine. I’m pretty sure it’s impossible to dislike you – and that’s coming from the mutt that hates everyone.” Ew. He was being… nice. Ugh, pack life was definitely not good for him. It was her next comment that surprised the lanky Captain, his seafoam eyes drifting away from her black-marked body. Since forming the pack together Styx had only seen his partner a few times – he was curious as to what she was getting herself up to, but their relationship was much different than a typical Alpha pair. “O-Okay, I think? We’re not really anything – just friends, sort of. I didn’t like her at first, but don’t tell her that,” he responded after a moment of silence, cringing mentally at the words he stringed together. “She’s around – she actually reminds me of Rivet. I think they would get along.” Styx didn’t really want to admit that he hadn’t seen much of the silver-eyed female, but if she ended up disappearing on him the lanky mutt would announce it to the rest of the pack.

Hey, maybe that shouldn't stop him? Haha. Anyway, Turq doesn't really fit into any sexuality stereotypes...

Styx offered some rather general advice, though Turquoise felt a little heartened by it. More than anything, she was happy to get off this topic and onto another one, any other one. Thusly, she seized upon the subject of Styx himself and his relationship with his cohort, Katina, who did not materialize, much to Turq's disappointment.

"You don't like her but you decided to start a pack with her? How's that work?" Turquoise wondered. When he mentioned Rivet's name, Turq sucked in a breath and forced herself to sound casual as she asked, "Oh, yeah, how's that?" Suddenly, the Gunner was actually glad Katrina hadn't magically appeared. Turq would give other ladies a wide berth for a while, especially if they resembled her lover.

>:D!!! Immediately after he spoke of Katrina the spider-legged Alpha regretted sharing (what felt like) too much – really, it was none of Turquoise’s business how his relationship was with the silver-eyed female. Or lack of relationship – whatever they were. As hard as he had tried to dislike her when they first met, Styx soon realized that it was impossible not to like his co-Captain. Which frustrated the youth deeply, but if they were to lead a pack together it was definitely beneficial for them to at least be able to tolerate each other. Their pack would suffer if the members realized that the Alpha ‘pair’ detested each other and could not stand being in the same proximity. “She sort of talked me into it,” he admitted with a thin frown, seafoam gaze drifting away from the sandy-coloured female as he regretted admitting his initial feelings on his partner to Turquoise. “I’ve been a loner since birth – and that was the way I intended to remain, until meeting Kat. Because I was not interested in joining a pack, she suggested that it would be better if I was to make one.” Shrugging in response to his own words, brows narrowing softly as examined a tree behind the female before him. “I never like anyone the first time I meet them – well, most of the time.” This time a crooked smile had managed to find its way on his dark lips as he finally returned his attention to Turquoise’s bright, jewel-coloured eyes. The lop-sided smile remained unevenly perched across his maw as the female questioned the resemblance in Kat to her partner. With his head cocked slightly to the left, as if it was going to help him think better, the mutt searched his thoughts for the similarities he had noticed between the two wolves. “Just their personalities. You said Rivet used to be called a ‘firecracker’ – Kat’s the same way. She’s not at all what I expected, nor is Rivet. They’re both quite introverted and withdrawn – but always thinking; you can see it in their eyes.”

If Turquoise had known that Styx regretted oversharing, she probably would have groaned and said, "I know those feels." He gave no indication of his discomfiture and answered her question succinctly. The whole explanation didn't make a lot of sense to her but Turq simply shrugged. She did quirk an eyebrow slightly when Styx admitted that he didn't like most people on the first go, mostly because he gave her a weird look as he said it.

After letting him finish drawing comparisons between their cohorts, Turquoise warned jokingly, "Don't be a creeper now..." Her tail gave a lash and she tipped her head. "If she's introverted and withdrawn, it's no wonder I haven't seen her yet," she observed astutely. "So she's an introvert and you always intended to live alone. I'm still wondering what compelled the two of you to join forces to found a pack. Like, seriously. Why?"

The hybrid was silently debating on whether he should share more when the jewel-eyed female, or bite off his own tongue… If it had not been for crossing paths with Katrina the first time he would never be in his current position, and would have most likely already explored the majority of the neighbouring territories. Her suggestion, although preposterous at first, had drastically changed his life – and some of his opinions. Like Turquoise had boldly pointed out, it didn’t make sense why he and Kat would decide to join forces and create some sort of ‘anti- but totally serious-pack’. He shrugged at the female’s comment, seafoam eyes narrowing slightly as he studied the black smudge on her muzzle absentmindedly. “I’m a sucker for a pretty face,” he responded honestly, a lopsided grin pressed against his lips. “Now, that’s enough about me. It’s your turn to tell me something about yourself.” With a playful wink the youth decided to change the topic of discussion as he wasn’t particularly interested in continuing to talk about himself. And although he did not voice it, Styx was curious as to how Turquoise and Rivet wound up together – but whether the sandy-coloured girl before him would share that bit of information was up to her, not him (unfortunately).

Another female might have felt bashful when faced with her Alpha's flirtations, yet Turquoise only found them amusing—and slightly repulsive. She didn't much like males, after all, and certainly wasn't attracted to them. Still, the Captain's attentions didn't bother her much. In fact, she felt quietly flattered, though she'd never admit that to anyone.

He didn't seem interested in continuing the conversation about himself and Kat, so he bounced the ball back into Turq's court. "Uh, okay," she replied, sticking her tongue in her cheek as she tried to think of something to share, something she wouldn't mind sharing this time. "I once swallowed a frog whole when I was a leanbh. I pooped out its petrified but still whole corpse two days later," she shared brightly. She snickered and added slightly more sincerely, "What would you like to know, Cap'n?"

Her very brief story caused an uncharacteristically loud laugh to roll off his tongue, bright eyes remaining focused on the sandy female as a smile stretched his lips. The inky pirate definitely had not expected that response, though he should have. The jewel-eyed wolf before him was full of surprises, and Styx was slowly discovering that the more time he spent with her. It was remarkable how easily he found himself growing acquainted with others now that he was actually giving them a chance, but he still hated it. The gypsy pirate was exceptionally good at being a loner, but this whole pack/Alpha deal was a different story. It was becoming easier to grasp as the days passed, but initially the yearling had no idea what he was doing. Sometimes he still didn’t… “Anything,” he responded after composing himself, though the smirk was still placed neatly against his maw. “Where did you come from and why did you leave?” That was a good start – while he typically wasn’t interested in the history of others he did hope to form some sort of friendship with Turquoise. The only friend he really had was Katrina, but she didn’t really count.

His loud laugh surprised her so much that her black ears slid backward momentarily. He had always struck her as a soft-spoken individual who was very slow to smile, much less laugh. Once she got over her surprise, though, she felt more flattered than ever. Turquoise grinned at him, happy to be able to say that she could get the surly Alpha male to crack a smile and let loose a laugh.

"Uh, well, my family's huge. I love them a lot but it's easy to get overlooked or walked all over in the Blackthorn Clan. So I left. I was on my own a while, then decided I missed them too much and went back. I left when it became too much again. I met Rivet not long after and the two of us were traveling by ourselves a while, enjoying the nomadic life with just the two of us. Then we found our way here and we decided to join a pack. And here we are." She paused, then made a phlegmatic snoring noise. "Boring stuff, right?"

And now what? If she had truly spoiled her relationship with the svelte DeMonte, would they both stay here in Neverwinter? Turquoise felt a bolt of despair. She was already rather fond of this pack and didn't want her misbehavior to ruin everything. Her jaws suddenly closed together and she tried not to grimace outwardly. Guilt and anger (with herself) washed through her in powerful waves again and she lapsed into a stony silence, her turquoise eyes averted away from Styx.

Although her response was merely a summary it was still interesting – while he had not been interested in joining packs while he was a rogue, the idea of packs had still fascinated him. When he was younger he had not understood why wolves thought it was such a brilliant idea to surround themselves with dozens of other wolves, but it was slowly beginning to make sense to the hybrid. Though the pack was still new and small, they were still a family; they had to look out for each other and protect each other, something that Styx had never experienced before. Since birth he had always had to look out for himself, even when he was living with his mother and siblings. It wasn’t until he had met Katrina that the boy had cared for anybody other than himself. “Not boring,” he started with a lop-sided smirk and a soft roll of his shoulders. “I’m sure there’s some exciting bits that you can’t tell me,” he joked in response to her comment about traveling with Rivet. Their relationship and how they felt about each other was none of Styx’s business – if they were happy together that’s all that mattered, though the hybrid would have preferred it if the attention was on him. However, he wasn’t sure if Kat would appreciate other females fawning over him… though the yearling didn’t would not be opposed to it. “Do you see yourself – and Rivet – returning to your former pack in the future?”

His remark effectively distracted her. The Gunner rolled her eyes at Styx, albeit playfully, in response to both comments. "Right," she replied simply. "And I assure you that there were and, no, I'm not going to oblige your typical male fantasies about it." She daringly stuck out her tongue, though she punctuated it with a laugh. Although the sentiment was genuine, she found she wasn't nearly as repulsed by Styx as the average male.

His question stumped her if only because she truly hadn't give it any real thought. "You know, to tell you the truth, I haven't given my future a whole lot of thought. I just kind of... do whatever. I don't have any future plans and I guess I just don't map out everything. I just live my life." She shrugged, then cocked her head. "Does that even make sense?"

After righting herself and mulling his question for a moment longer, Turquoise added, "I guess not, though. I love my family—always will—but I think I've maxed out my time with the Clan. For now, I intend to stick around here unless something compelling comes up." Turq smirked, though her own offhanded comment made her think of the immediately previous events and her smile faltered as she wondered, again, whether she'd just fucked up her future here in Neverwinter.

An unexpected grin crawled across his lips at her comment and he quickly responded by sticking out his own tongue out at her, completely out of impulse. "I won't tell anyone if you share some juicy stories," he pleaded with a joking wink, his tail wagging softly behind him. It was surprising how comfortable he was with the sandy female — he typically did not warm up to others this quickly, aside from Katrina.

Once she started speaking again Styx was convinced that the jewel-eyed wolf before him was a female version of himself — sort of. Her explanation of not having any future plans or mapping anything out was similar to how the mutt felt about his own life. Creating a pack with a stranger he'd only met twice was a prime example of that, as it was not something he had intended on doing. "It makes sense," he agreed with a soft nod, expression growing more serious from his previous comment. "Planning just leads to complications. It's always been easier for me to go with the flow." Every choice he had made, every move, had been based on instinct — it was not until Kat had proposed creating a pack together that the youth actually had to consider something.

"Well, we're just going to have to find something to make you stay," he joked at her final comment although her words caused him to worry. There had already been a few wolves that had joined his group of pirates and had disappeared without a word, he did not want that to happen to two wolves that he actually enjoyed being around.

In response to his comment, Turquoise managed a distracted, "Heh," but little else. She sucked in a deep breath, her eyes finding their way to Styx's face, and she blew a raspberry. "I'll leave that up to you, capitane," she retorted. Unless her altercation with Dany had somehow put her future here in jeopardy, Turq did plan to stick around a while and couldn't think of anything that could possibly come up to lure her away.

On that note, she fidgeted where she stood and decided she needed to get away for a little while, to sort out her head on these matters. "Hey, I'm gonna go bash my head against a wall for a while," she said, a remark which Styx might not understand, unless he related it back to the troubles she had described earlier. "I'll see you around, Curpturn Sturx," she said, pronouncing it all oddly because it amused her.

She bobbed her smudged snout to the Alpha male, then made her leave. Although part of her definitely wanted to go running to Rivet, Turquoise in fact made a beeline in the exact opposite direction.

She was strange but perhaps that was why the long-limbed Captain liked her so much. The jewel-eyed girl was unlike any other wolf he had encountered, and while she was completely uninterested in his gender – much to his disappointment – he was positive that she would remain a loyal pirate until she felt it was necessary to depart. As she announced that she was going to leave aka ‘bash her head against a wall’ the youth cracked a lazy smile, his bushy tail giving a soft wag at her peculiar choice of words. “Don’t get into too much trouble, Turq,” he responded with a wink before turning away, his long legs carrying him back into the depths of the forest.