Twisted Slough hiding behind a pack of lies

for @Fennec <3

colt briggs missed his redbird something fierce. he thought often of gun too, and reno. the ones they'd lost.
but the gang was here now, and he was their head. he would keep them safe. no more recklessness.
the land here was ugly, reeking and twined with a harsh briny wind from the sea. colt wrinkled his nose, snorting as he traversed the area in his eternal search for food.

At some point during their coastal travels, Fennec split from Killdeer to scout for food and simply for space. It wasn’t something she necessarily needed but it also wasn’t something she worried about. Until they reached the ocean, danger was the least of her worries, and they would always reconvene before a full day passed. Hunting could be hard to do successfully in a pair.

It seemed she wasn’t alone here. Fennec froze and her lip curled as she caught a scent. It was someone unfamiliar. The strong scent of the sea made it hard to tell how close or how many and she silently cursed it again as she made her way carefully forward. She wouldn’t bother hiding… she didn’t know how to even begin the concept. But she wouldn’t announce her presence either.

It was nearly time to turn back anyway. Perhaps she should call it early. Despite the thought, she picked out a few more careful steps and listened intently for any movement nearby.

as her ears picked him out, colt tensed. his eyes were upon the small golden wolf which had suddenly appeared. the man snorted and in true briggs fashion, stalked toward her. if there was something to know, he would know it. if there was something to have, he meant to have it.
the man ran his tongue across the ridges of his teeth and hooted out, "reckon yer wandering same as i am, ma'am?"
from here, colt could not see the milkiness of her eyes to know she would never see his ugly mug. he kept his steps heavy, vaguely challenging as was his way.

Doubt it. She cut back immediately, noting silently the arrogant pattern of his stride. Well fuck. That could mean a few things and none of them were ones she felt like putting up with.

I’m not here to make friends. How about you keep walking and we ignore each other? She stood defensively, hoping the warning would at least discourage him from getting into her space.

She’d resolved to build Killdeer a home, and at some point that did mean making friends. Not right here though and certainly not right now.

"i ain't looking t'play grab ass neither," colt scoffed, completing the last distance between them. a raucous chuckle broke from his throat but he did not come closer. "reckon agin yer not able to see my ugly mug. better way to make friends."
colt sniffed the air. "there's pack hearabouts. yew know of em?" not small talk. information gathering. he liked her fire but was unwilling to be scorched, not when he'd just gotten the gang here and avoided any scrapes.

His voice was rough and had a strange, drawling intonation to it. It sounded nearly the opposite of the more musical pattern she’d heard on the coast, but for some reason it reminded her of the pack she’d met when she’d dropped Alyx off. Maybe just because it was such a unique and different accent.

It distracted her almost enough that she had to take a few seconds to walk back over what he’d said.

I’ve met a lot of ugly, but I’ve got my own way of sorting it. Jury’s still out on you. The fact that he wasn’t turned off by her immediate unfriendliness, and instead chose to casually ignore it, reminded her briefly of Penn.

And no. I’m not looking to join, so I’ve been avoiding any claims. Good way to avoid annoying questions. Rude and a little pointed, but also a bit of a joke. It had been too long since she’d felt the space to throw jabs.

"nor i. yew could say i'm lookin' fer a bit of reconnaissance." hungry bellies turned easily to steel. they hunted well enough for now, but sadey would not be the same, colt felt, and lonesome was sick.
and yet, he was unwilling to raid. briggs instead wanted to wheedle what he needed.
"don't keep headin' west, then," he grunted. there was no way to truly know if a pack was there. but colt knew enough to understand that congregations of wolves moved.
she wasn't looking to join, and so he did not invite her to where he'd spirited the gang. instead colt looked frankly at the woman, flicking tongue over his lips. "what are yew lookin' fer then, spitfire?"

Spitfire. It was better than ma’am or lady.

Good luck finding that shit for free. If I was lying, it’d be because I know you don’t have anything I want for trade. She wasn’t but figured she’d leave that qualification implied. He could figure out for himself whether he believed her.

But you do ask a lot of questions. I get an answer first. Why do you want to know?

She waited. He didn’t seem like an immediate threat, so she’d relaxed some, but she wasn’t about to sit down and lower her guard completely. It didn’t matter how much he might remind her, in some small ways, of Penn. She didn’t know a thing about this guy and if shit went sideways, she would need fangs on him first. Running away was never an option in unfamiliar territory.

a loud, spiraling laugh, hard at the edges. "ain't lookin' t'trade, woman. i don't think yew don't know shit about this place," he stated in open assumption designed to force a defense. "but neither do i." he scuffed at the stinking mud. "so now we both hafta learn th'lay of the land."
if she'd wanted something in return, she shouldn't have played her cards so nakedly. "whatever i need i kin find. reckon it's th'same fer yew." blindness never held back anyone who was determined, his thoughts said myopically.
"however, maybe we're lookin' fer the same thing. s'why i asked." food. information. a bed for a night. colt pulled away and tilted his muzzle into the breeze, trying to see if he'd been correct. "gotta soft spot fer sharp-tongued women who appear in swamps. come with me an' we'll see what there's to see." a challenge.
he eyed her with his crimson gaze.

She didn’t respond but did silently disagree. Unlike him she had no interest in this particular land. It was too far from anything familiar and too meaningless to both her and Killdeer.

Spring’s advancement made her aware that this conversation was ill-advised for a number of reasons. Fortunately for her she’d already made her decision and hopefully, by the time she needed to guard it, she and Killer would be focused on other pursuits.

We aren’t. She flicked her tail dismissively, the gesture instinctual vs conscious. I’m passing through. I’ll be staking a claim with my son once we’ve settled on a spot, but don’t worry. We won’t be putting down roots anywhere near here. She didn’t know why he was investigating nearby packs but if he was looking for information instead of direct conversation, likely it was to gauge their threat.

And I might be looking for a trade, just has to be the right one. She added, shifting slightly so that she was looking at him a little more directly. She wasn’t sure why, but she’d learned over the years that it could unnerve some, and she always loved making use of that. You don’t have anything I want but you could get it more easily. You get me a meal for my son, I’ll give you a look at your future.

she gave a lot away. a mother with an infant. thankfully colt could eye her body in the typical invasive manner of his gender, and her body said nothing about suckling no babies. had to be a little bit older.
"do i look like i'm tryin' t'be someone's pa?" colt guffawed, as much for the joke as the insult that a woman should offer him what sounded like a prairie-marriage first. that was his line.
but she didn't need anything from him. the roundness of her blank pale eyes started under his skin. colt shook it off. "already know my future comes at a cost," he growled gruffly.
briggs had little more to say, even to a pretty golden creature like the one staring at him now.
"i'm headed west, spitfire. if yer still roun' these parts when i get what i want, i'll trade ya. but i don't hunt without a guarantee of somethin' in return. too much energy expended. yew get it."
a snicker. he was ready to swagger off now, turning, one ear slanted to hear any responses. colt had a mission. hunting for kids other than marston wasn't on the agenda, and besides. that boy could do his own killing now.

Her look took on a bit of disdain when he made the initial comment. She held it through, but stayed patiently as she was when he turned to leave. Killdeer was a fine enough hunter that she didn’t need to beg, and the coast was near enough that she could make do scavenging the shores.

Still, it felt like losing, the way he dismissed it. She didn’t like losing.

As if he needs a ‘pa’. She snorted scornfully. Every future comes with a price. I’m offering a chance to know if it’s worth it. She took a breath, then flicked her ear impassively. But it’s up to you if that chance is worth a share of a hunt. I know the value of what I’m offering, and I don’t plan on sticking around on the chance you’ll take it. Yes or no.

"hunting fer yer kid is the job of a husband. if u don't got one, ain't my problem," colt sneered nastily. he was thinking of sadey now, and lonesome, jealous of the very idea that someone had touched one of them. 
she spoke vaguely. briggs rolled his eyes but did not depart just yet. "i want what i can touch. taste." tongue to the battered lips once more as a lower tone flickered in his voice. "don't stick aroun', spitfire. but i kin hunt somethin' quicker'n yew. so that makes what i give more a guarantee."
she was alluding to something. colt wasn't patient enough to explore that with her. "yew might see what this claim has t'offer, seein' as how yew have a little'un t'look after. harsh world fer bein' alone in."
he did draw away now, though the offer to accompany him had not been withdrawn.

There’s the ugly.. At least it was the honest kind and not the variety that hid until a less opportune moment. She could respect it.

Let him think she was carrying around some defenseless pup. She didn’t have any reason to correct him, and the estimation probably worked in her favor. If he tried to follow or give them trouble he wouldn’t be expecting a son who could fight alongside her.

Suit yourself. I told you I’m only looking for the right trade. She turned as well, towards the coast she would follow and eventually meet Killdeer along. World hasn’t killed me yet. Got no reason to trust it less than you. She smirked, listening to him depart a moment before starting off herself. She didn’t need him following her, much as she might enjoy hearing him try and make his case to Killdeer. Ugly and her son didn’t mix nearly as well and she’d prefer to keep it that way.

<3333

whatever man she'd had, this one'd chewed him right up.
colt found himself a bit smitten. aside from sadey, he wasn't normally addressed that way by members of the fairer sex. but neither was he cut out for parenthood, and so he had no inclination to pursue.
the world couldn't tear you up unless you let it. they did have that in common.
his steps carried him the opposite direction, briggs already making up his mind that he'd come back this way — just in case.