Noctisardor Bypass platinum edition

It had been nearly three weeks since Kaertok had set foot in the bypass. Surely others had noticed his absence, but it wouldn't be any cause for alarm. On the journey home, he thought of Raleska and her children. The former far more than the latter. They had nearly killed her, and they were not his, so he did not develop an attachment to them. He hadn't asked Raleska about them in that way. Kaertok had been far more concerned with her physical well being.

Weary from the time spent caring for her, he made his way to a central clearing and stretched himself out under the overcast sky. It wasn't too hot or too cold, and it seemed like as good a time as any to squeeze in a nap before something pulled him away.

Spook was shaken. He'd been right and his sister hadn't believed him. He at least didn't blame his mother -- she'd done all she could here to protect them. But obviously here they couldn't do anything to have prevented it. Maybe he should have tried harder. Somehow. He'd figure it out. There had to be some way to shift luck to be in their favor, so that they could all be protected.  Somehow.

But Spook was at the moment weaving his way across the territory, carrying a single bird wing without the rest of the bird -- it was from a pretty drab looking species, or perhaps just a young one of whatever it was. The details didn't matter. But he'd finally found a good one to add to his collection, so he was taking it back to his little stash of interesting things and would figure out its place in the world after doing so.

Or that was the plan until he popped around a corner and spotted a white wolf sitting right next to the path he'd been planning to take. Uhhhh. He knew of Kaertok from scent and from the hunt. But not personally beyond that. Since he didn't come with familial familiarity like Arbiter, Spook had kind of avoided him just because he'd seemed kind of intimidating and he didn't need that in his life necessarily. Spook had frozen, at least for those few seconds, ears back, not really sure if he should say something or just run off or what.

The sound of footsteps caused Kaertok to look over to see who was approaching. It was one of Arbiter's older kids. Kaertok honestly couldn't keep their names straight, even if he had been able to remember them. He had similar markings to his mother in the face, and his eyes were only one or two shades away from Arbiter's, too. The beta (which is what he would continue to call himself, pack labels be damned) recognized him as a non-threat, and he let his chin drop back to the ground.

Whatever the kid was up to probably wasn't his business anyway. And if the kid had come to find him, he could approach without issue.

And he just seemed to be... Sort of dismissed? Okay, Spook knew he wasn't everyone's favorite wolf, but usually someone said something. Maybe he just expected more from the wolf who had fathered his future half-siblings. But then again, maybe that was just basing things too much on his father. Maybe it would have been better if he'd had a fang turned at him.

So after that moment of indecision, Spook took a couple steps forward, setting down his prize so he could speak, trying to do so with a more even tone and guts than he really had and getting mixed results, Uh, so how am I supposed to treat you now anyway? Like the guy was supposed to be beta, but Spook still wasn't sure if he was supposed to act more friendly to Kaertok or something because of Arbiter or what. What he had wanted was Terance back. An actual father figure.

Oh. He was supposed to know how this worked. Oops.

You do you, I guess, he replied. What was he, some kind of know it all? Kaertok barely knew what he was supposed to do Mose days, not to mention when it came to Arbiter’s kids.

That was not what he expected at all. Spook's head jerked back a little, surprised in a way he hadn't felt before. It wasn't the strongest emotion ever, but it twisted in an unfamiliar, darker way. He fumbled for words, Just -- just like that? No opinion whatsoever? Spook hadn't been expecting much, but he thought there'd be more than nothing. If anything it widened the hole that Terance's absence left.

Who was this man who apparently felt or cared about nothing? It didn't matter that Kaertok and Arbiter weren't actually mates -- wasn't he supposed to at least try to work with them? Wouldn't he want to have the support of Spook and his sister? He wasn't even the hard to get along with one! What would Brou think of him?

He appeared taken aback by Kaertok's answer, and the Tartok shrugged. You appear to have an opinion on the matter, he said. Kaertok didn't. Arbiter's older kids were just... another set of wolves that Kaertok was meant to be amiable toward. He didn't see himself stepping into a paternal role with them on any level because he simply wasn't their father. Nor would he attempt to be. If they asked for it specifically, he might attempt some role-model behavior, but Kaertok didn't go around assuming things that weren't said.

He stuttered, Well-- I--! Of course I have opinions about things. But it's not just me. He sort of fumbled and was flustered, trying to not necessarily seem tough but just less of a pushover than he actually was. It wasn't particularly convincing, but he tried. The issue was obviously that Kaertok didn't have one. He should.

Really Spook didn't know what he wanted. Probably more along the lines of something so that Spook didn't have to make a decision on his own. He much preferred other people to lead the way. He just wasn't a particularly pushy wolf.

Okay, he actually wanted Terance back, but that wasn't going to happen.

Kaertok is such a jerk, lol.

Kaertok had sort of expected to hear Spook explain what those opinions were, but instead he sputtered on about how it wasn't just him. Well, what are those opinions you and whoever else has? he asked. The Tartok had moved so he was propped more on his elbows, lying in a sphinx position as he spoke to the boy. So far, Spook hadn't proven himself to be any more than that.

He would not allow his own children to grow up sputtering ding-dongs like this one, Kaertok thought. No, they would be confident and well-spoken. He was sure of it.

They were successfully not impressed by the other for very different reasons. That you're supposed to have a plan for stuff that's obvious, he said with a huff. It was a very Arbiter thing to say, wonder where he'd gotten the idea. He was used to people who were very set on doing specific things. Arbiter was always keen to micromanage her children when she had the chance, or at the very least trying to manipulate them into doing what she wanted for least effort on her part. He was used to it. Why wouldn't some other leader do the same, especially if he'd paired up with Spook's mother of all people? Or at least a direction. Spook was now of the opinion that Kaertok had absolutely no direction. Or desires. Or anything. He just existed and maybe in the future the yearling would just avoid him. Again, not impressed. At least his mother could count on him to actually be responsible and stuff. He'd give the guy a little longer and then Spook would go back to what he was supposed to be doing, he figured.

Spook dug deeper, and Kaertok felt like none of this was "obvious" to him, but then again, subtleties were not his specialty. And he certainly wasn't good on picking up on things that were bothering others. Fine then. Treat me as your superior, just as you would any other leader. I know your mother taught you how to do that. I will be the father to your half siblings, but I won't be yours. Even if Spook and his siblings had asked, Kaertok would refuse that job. The thought of fathering children that weren't his own just... wasn't in the cards for him.

So, how am I supposed to treat you? the Tartok wolf asked, tilting his head to one side. Not that he would necessarily follow the boy's wants, but it was worth asking, it seemed.

Maybe Spook just expected more of a person. He wanted his dad back, which was understandable if unreasonable in current reality. But he didn't like this one. It was cruel.

His response was slightly sterner than some of his previous -- maybe just more certain, As someone who's been really reliable and done things for the pack. And gonna keep doing stuff to help my mom. And my siblings. I've done a lot. Even if people don't notice. It wasn't so much a flame of anger or anything like that, just a little stubborn coal that flickered and didn't quite burn out. There was a little spirit to the yearling, even if he was meek and probably a bit of a disappointment all around, but he tried in his own weird way. But he wasn't useless.

Spook proclaimed that he'd done things for the pack, and Kaertok quirked a brow. Things that others didn't notice. What sorts of things have I missed? he asked, his tone not accusatory at all. If anything, his question was flat, merely curious about what Spook had done (or thought he had done) to help the pack. So far, Kaertok hadn't seen any evidence of it, but Spook had already covered that by saying that others hadn't noticed.

You should make sure that others do notice, or they'll walk all over you. It was a small bit of advice, but one that he had learned over the years. He had so often played a supporting role without asking for anything in return. Legion was the first time he'd attempted to turn that around, and so far, things were working out better than expected.

Yeah. There was doubt. People doubted him a lot. I've gone out and talked to people. Told them about the pack. Found out stuff about what's around. A lot of people are out there looking for others. Maybe that's a big problem right now. That statement had a sort of pointedly inquisitive glance attached, good luck speculating on what might cause lots of people to go missing. Maybe it was why Pike was gone again. Or some of the others that had come and gone. But it wasn't anything solid yet. Not everything was Ursus' fault, even if they were a good one to blame right now. They were the only one he knew to blame right now.

Stuff like hunting is obvious. Everyone can see that. Or smell it, rather. But most of what he hunted that wasn't for himself went directly to Arbiter -- who at least to him was the one that mattered. Spook should probably hunt more larger things, yes, that he knew, but Spook needed more practice or a partner with which to do so. He wasn't going to go overboard risking himself for something that he had a very low chance of catching.

And what have you learned about what's around us? Kaertok asked, once again in a neutral tone. He was trying to get to the bottom of how Spook might be using his time (and why he was doing so). If he wished to be more respected, he'd need to justify his actions, whatever they might be. He was talking a lot of talk, but Kaertok had yet to see any actual evidence that Spook had been gathering information on the surrounding areas that had been useful to the pack. Up until now, Kaertok hadn't even known he'd been doing that. If he had, he might have made more use of him.

As for hunting, everybody could see it, but it was also everybody's job. If one wanted to truly shine in that department, they had to be willing to lead others to do the same. Thus far, Spook had not led a hunt, and if he'd been filling caches, Kaertok hadn't noticed. Once again, that was the problem. Spook seemed to want to be noticed, but he didn't seem to want to put in the work to do so.

Was he going to have to give periodic reports to Kaertok now? Spook was pretty sure that he already shared whatever was important with his mother -- and she was free to ignore the heck out of everything if it turned out it wasn't important. Hopefully not, Spook wasn't sure he liked the guy. Why couldn't the pack find more friendly people?

I've seen where herds and stuff go. And am familiar with the territories around. Most of the wolves I've run into haven't heard of Ursus, so they're keeping trouble to themselves I guess and aren't coming near. But I also haven't run into um... Whitebark Stream really at all. It seems pretty weird to me. They're like.. Right there. I thought my mom said they had families and puppies and stuff there. Did Kaertok think that was weird too? Or was that something he didn't care about? He tipped his head then, just waiting for an analysis on that part.

That seemed all well and good enough for Kaertok. It wasn't any sort of knocking it out of the park, but the Tartok wolf did think there was potential there. Whether or not Spook actually tapped into that... well, only time would tell. He was still young enough, and maybe it would just take him longer to get into the swing of things. It wasn't much of a concern to Kaertok, so long as he wasn't causing trouble.

I'd rather have quiet neighbors than ones causing a ruckus, Kaertok said. He meant it, too. Those who were constantly ruffling feathers were a pain to deal with, and he certainly didn't enjoy doing the dealing.

In all honesty, Spook wasn't sure if he was getting more or less comfortable with Kaertok. He wasn't a fan, still, but at least he didn't seem to be demeaning him right this instant. Spook still thought he should be better, though. But then again, it'd be hard for anyone to compare to his father, it didn't matter what relationship anyone had with anyone else. Spook just saw him as a good guy.

But that didn't change the fact he wondered if there was something wrong over at the stream. Maybe they were just hermits though. Yeah, but I still think I should have run into more of them. I think my mom has talked to them the most and um.. Obviously that's been a while. He just thought it was weird. And I'll just keep an eye out for them I guess. I don't mind that I haven't seen any Ursus people though. Those people could stay way the hell away. Spook hoped he'd never see them. The little description he'd had was plenty.

Kaertok nodded. He didn't have anything else to say to the aspiring scout, but he paused momentarily, giving Spook room to say anything else he had to say. If there was nothing, Kaertok would be on his way.

Did he not see there were potential problems or did he just not care? Maybe it was actually both. Either way, seemed like Kaertok was done talking -- he probably thought he was just humoring Spook rather than dealing with an actual packmate or something. It wasn't like he felt as though he was being treated with any real respect.

He waited a moment longer just to be sure, but nope, he was just gonna head off like a jerk or something. So with a slight huff, Spook grabbed his prize and headed off to his stash. A bird wing was better company.