Swiftcurrent Creek go and hide yourselves

there were a lot of wolves in this area. there were more scents in the rising sun than ancelin had ever been confronted by in his entire life thus far, and that was without seeing hardly any of the wolves hunting and leaving trails.
like aventus, ancelin had become more a fond of stealth and reticence. while ameline might go right into a packland to introduce herself, her mate was far more furtive and therefore appeared far more suspicious.
he had been watching the borders of the claimed creek for a while that morning, keeping far, far back once he'd caught their outer markers. there were two packs he counted now, and with enough members to do serious harm or death if the bear valley wolves weren't careful. 
finally, ancelin slid from cover and trotted along the treeline, visible but still at a good distance.

Eshe, like Ancelin, was working on familiarizing herself with Swiftcurrent Creek's borders. She'd been spending more time along their outer boundaries, alone and in @Akavir's company, and she was beginning to feel more comfortable patrolling alone.

Today, unlike the other times she'd been present at the border, another wolf was nearby. She didn't spot him initially, but as he slid out of cover and into view, he stuck out like a sore thumb among the woodlands. She stopped, tail flagging high as she watched him from a distance. And then, finally, after building up a bit of courage, she called to him and said, Can I help you?

Eshe called to the man—but Akavir materialized from the opposite side of the man, albeit still upon their borders. His ear flicked at the familiar voice of his mate, but it was not her that he looked at so brazenly now—it was the strange wolf that stalked the length of their borders from a distance… with what almost appeared a tactician’s mindset.

His own pace was not quickened to keep up—he kept at a distance—for now. A silent shadow, expression unreadable as he waited the man to answer the question—uncertain how he felt about one of their more talented healers taking the frontline of border patrol in case things went awry—let alone his mate.

the woman who addressed him had soft eyes, ancelin noticed, even as he froze like a deer in the headlights of a lifted dodge ram. being thrust into a sort of leading role did nothing for the fact that he hadn't been socialized for it, and therefore he wasn't sure how to proceed.
his back prickled; he hazarded a glance over his shoulder to see another wolf, watching. ancelin fought a shiver and tried to put on a warmer face for the she-wolf, approaching about five steps before he halted. "hi, i'm — new. uh, to — here. the valley, i mean." wow, he was doing a great job. "ancelin bearclaw. can you tell me about this place?"

Eshe noticed Akavir shortly after spotting Ancelin, and she flashed her husband a warm smile; a promise that she was okay.

"Hi, I'm — new. uh, to — here. The valley, I mean. Ancelin Bearclaw. Can you tell me about this place?" the stranger asked, catching her attention once more.

Hi Ancelin, I'm Eshe Frostfur-Mayfair, she replied, feeling pride in saying her new surname. And this is my husband, Akavir, she motioned to him, studying him for a moment as she debated how to proceed. This is our pack, Swiftcurrent Creek—I'll have him to share what he wishes, she said, deferring to him. Their borders had been stricter as of late, and she didn't want to misspeak, so she figured he would be the best to share what he wanted to.

The stranger sensed him—bristling, guarded, and it was a pair of a violet eyes that darted back to study the approaching Alpha. Still—the boy’s approach softened—his voice tentative, stirring Akavir’s ears to cup forward and his own footfalls to cease.

If he struck a nervousness in the other—good. He was tired of others stomping across the creek wolves as if they were doormats.

Eshe, of course, was the dictionary definition of gracious and welcoming. She offered Akavir’s names—placing him at the helm of what to offer the youthful wolf’s inquiry.

“Bearclaw, as in the valley?”

The name didn’t seem a coincidence—and Akavir’s gaze was unmoving from the wolf’s features. If anything—this Ancelin reminded him of Ash Paw.

eshe frostfur-mayfair. quite a mouthful, but a pretty mouthful. she deferred almost immediately to this akavir, who pinned the younger man with hard golden eyes. whoa, what's his deal? "what valley?" ancelin asked lamely, glancing between them as if to glean an answer. "bearclaw is a name my mate chose for us, look," he said, thrusting his chest forward to show off the ursine talon tangled into the fur there. 
it felt like there was nothing to be sought here. keeping an eye on them both, ancelin took a step back.

Eshe is skippable re: chan's request

The tri-colored man did not understand what he asked—instead, thrusting his chest forward, stirring Akavir’s gaze to graze over something—what was that? His eyes squinted a moment—a talon.

Bearclaw.

He found a surge of amusement in twisted sense then—withholding the trace of the smirk from his lips before his pale eyes once more studied the man. “There’s a smaller valley in this one called Bearclaw.” He nodded to the man, not truly welcoming just yet—but allowing his hardened features to soften. “You and your mate are looking around here?”

that seemed to be the right thing to say, but ancelin remained wary. it had kept him alive thus far, after all. "that's neat. how did it get the name?" he inquired with a placating wave of his tail. the woman did not speak and ancelin wondered if by design this akavir spoke for them both.
he almost replied, we found one, but feeling strangely protective of the little pups he and ameline were tending, he decided to be vague. "kinda. we're still traveling, taking it easy for a bit in the area, but i think i wanna go before the snow comes, you know?" ha ha joke, were either of them gonna smile?

The man seemed wary of him —

— Good.

Akavir’s gaze drifted to @Eshe momentarily, wondering what she thought of the entire situation. The strange colored wolf spoke again—a question, and vague information.

“Dunno,” he offered, unhelpful but entirely uncertain where the name came from. “Something about bear worshippers, I think,” he shrugged. His muzzle tipped more eastern, then. “Two other packs are that way—there are three in total in this valley,” he offered.

Then—“Are you related to a she-wolf called Ash Paw? You look similar to her…” His eyes narrowed—more in curiosity, and his tail gave a more relaxed flick.

"n-no, i don't know an ash paw." he laughed softly, then cleared his throat, stepping back a little. "i'm gonna go. ah, thanks for the info. really," another step.
ancelin hadn't really been expecting to get the third degree, and nothing about the creek wolves spelled friendly.
so he bobbed his head and sped off at a coltish trot, though he did not immediately turn for the valley.

When Ancelin was out of sight, Eshe made her way towards Akavir with a confused look on her face. Thanks for handling that, she said once she was next to him, kissing his cheek after speaking. That was ... weird. I don't know why, but I don't trust him.

He watched the man go—withholding his frown until the youthful man was out of sight and Eshe spoke. There, he turned to her, muzzle sweeping forward to cast a kiss upon her cheek. He did no more than grunt his agreement with her—and after that, trailed after his wife for the rest of the day, unable to shake the feeling that the strange wolf had been scooping them out for some reason.