Lost Creek Hollow Don’t’cha know eh?

@Treason @Arbiter

The existance Joss led in the pack was far from glorious- and could be considered only mildly comfortable. He avoided most of the others, but did still contribute with regards to marking the borders and hunting within the territory. It was by some stroke of mercy he’d survived the winter, though even now he hadn’t completely shed his meagre winter coat- tufts of matted fur hung off his body, too painful to grab and pull out yet as it hadn’t completely let go. The chunks of dead fur hung mostly off his flanks, belly and ruff, but the reat had shed out to reveal a thin, dull grey coat that did little to hide the bones beneath. 

Still, he was alive, though he wasn’t sure his quality of life really meant he was actually living. He took no pride in being a part of the pack- though he did take orders relatively well. Not that he was the sort of wolf to skip happily to whatever duty he had, but whatever it was he needed to get done, he did it. With a frown, yes, but that didn’t make him less effective.

Treason- no, Arbiter- had said she’d wanted to see him and he simply prayed she didn’t want him to watch her kids. Part of him hoped she’d finally just let him go free. Not that he’d fare any better in the wild on his own, nor would he likely find a pack that’d accept a wretch like him- but months of being the omega had seriously effected what tiny trace of self-worth he’d had, and had begun to make him regret choosing life. Still- he tracked Arbiter down, and called out to her with his usual, sullen woof to catch her attention, ready to take another order.

After the way the pups were acting at the meeting, she was pretty sure he wasn't going to want to show up anywhere near them any time soon.  But he did call, so that was good.  She headed to meet him, dipping her head briefly in greeting before moving right on to business -- it wasn't like she was good at that sort of thing anyway.  It was probably for the best.

She looked him over in that typically critical way, So tell me.  What is it you want to do?  It was fairly open-ended on the surface.  Really, though, she couldn't figure him out.  Sure, there was the surface-level wanting to stay alive part, but what about beyond that?  He didn't seem like he was trying, even though she'd been too busy to go out of her way to make things more miserable.  Joss had done quite a good job of doing that himself, from the looks of it.  Perhaps he was just a bit dense.  Hell, maybe he liked it.  Arbiter wasn't exactly sure.  Then again, she was also one who took as much was allowed and then some -- if there was ever a limit, she'd push at it to get what she wanted.

Joss seemed to wilt as soon as Arbiter got a good look at him. He hated being judged and scrutinized, but that was simply how others always looked at him- so he more or less lived in a constant state of being disappointed and sour. It showed in the way his lips pursed and the corners pulled down, but there wasn't much he could do about it. He couldn't even tell the kids not to stare at him- because he had no right to do so. All he could do was live his miserable life, without complaining. And it had been wearing him down. 

So when she asked him what he wanted to do, he could only assume that this was a test. With a dour shrug, he mumbled his answer. "Whatever you want me to do." His tone was more defeated than sour. He was oblivious to the fact that she was asking him for an actual, original opinion, not just for the answer he assumed she wanted to hear. Truth be told, he didn't want to do whatever she asked him to do, so he hadn't answered the question correctly. But he'd been trained to hold back on his true thoughts and feelings, wants and needs, so that he could simply stay alive. The dull creature didn't have much for common sense, or independant thinking, so his reply was a simply knee-jerk reaction that he'd been trained to say. It was easier that way- not having to think about what he really wanted, and Joss liked things to be easy. He didn't like the stress of making choices and decisions. He could follow orders relatively well, and it meant he didn't have responsibilities of his own, aside from what he was told to do.

Seriously, did this guy have some sort of fetish for crawling along on the ground being everyone's doormat?  A certain pup who shall not be named would shred him, no question there.  But aside from the fact that Joss must have thought that Arbiter had thought of some fun new way to torture him or something, she actually wanted a real answer, not just whatever nonsense he thought she wanted to hear.

A slight frown as she watched him.  She wasn't a big fan of repeating herself when the question she asked wasn't particularly complicated.  No.  What do you want to do? she repeated.  If you're given the opportunity to work your way to a normal rank, then what?  Stay and be useful in some way, or try whatever luck you've got elsewhere?  Not that she expected he'd find himself in a particularly great position even if he did go searching for one.  He was just so... What would be the proper descriptor?  A wet noodle?  An old piece of paper that probably smells a bit funny?  Something that was certainly not a danger and easily mangled.  Some pack might take pity on him, or just scoop him up and he might be someone's chewtoy who actually wanted to make him as miserable as possible instead of allowing himself to do it to himself.