Blacktail Deer Plateau The Disappearance and the Claim

A chill spread through the air as the black form slowly climbed the up the plateau, scanning left and right for any movement. The light rain that progressively soaked her thick coat and the slight sway of the trees were the only things that caught her eye, though. She listened hard as she moved into Dragonwatchers' territory, willing to stalk from far off with her impeccable vision.

As they edged forward, a pocket of trees formed, like a palace on top of the large crag. This forest was vastly different from the one that Bon Dye cherished so; but they were no longer the spiritual pack they once were. Hawkeye looked to the right and saw droppings of the resident herd. She sniffed the air, wondering if it was the rain that had washed the scent of the wolves away. Key-lime orbs met gold/indigo and then emerald ones as Hawkeye looked back and then forward once more. Something was off.

I edited this with the assumption that Leto would be present as well. :)

With their new leadership decided, the wolves of Bon Dye now needed to forge their new identity. She had thought about it quite a lot lately and seemed to Pied that a complete overhaul was in order; in her opinion, they should do away with the name, beliefs and even territory in order to reestablish themselves. Everything was still up in the air on the former two points, though when Hawkeye and Leto invited her along on a scouting expedition to check out possible new territories to claim, Pied willingly accepted.

Now they arrived at the foot of the plateau and peered upward. Pied narrowed her eyes against the light rain that gently misted her face and sluiced off her pale muzzle. She inhaled, sifting through the damp scents. When she detected no trace of her cousins, she blinked—sending water springing from her eyelashes—and glanced quizzically at the closer of her two companions (which happened to be Leto), her expression asking, Where did they go...?

Ignoring the lurch of concern, Pied followed the leaders up the sloping towpath and emerged into the forest just behind Hawkeye. There was no sign of wolves. The initial and instinctual unease lessened and a feeling of smugness crept over her. She wetted her lips, though they didn't need it. Koontz, Ray and the others were gone. Pied didn't know why and decided she didn't care. Although a feeling of apprehension for her relatives' whereabouts and well-being niggled at the back of her mind, she closed herself off to it by vividly recalling the night of Koontz's repudiation.

"They're gone," Pied said aloud what they already knew by now. "Wouldn't it be poetic justice to claim their former stomping grounds?" A faint smirk twitched her lips as she met Hawkeye's gaze briefly before letting hers drop. "It definitely wasn't lack of prey that caused them to leave..." she added as the odor of nearby deer wafted thickly into her nostrils.

Hawkeye peered into Pied's eyes; although her friend's intentions were mostly pure, hers were not. She had planned to challenge Koontz to a fight, but it seemed as if the pack had disappeared -- same for Pied's other cousin and Yildun. They were gone, and the land was now hers.

"Yes, let's do it. This land is now ours, and we will fight anyone who tries to take it." She slowly raised her head to proclaim the words she just spoke to her friend; she dared anyone to near and stake a claim in her new territory. The borders would be a strange thing to guard -- steep hills surrounding the land -- but the view would counter that negative. At least the cliff would ward of those to lazy to mess with a pack for food.

Leto seemed to pick up on the same scent and abruptly announced that she was going to scout out the herd. Pied watched her go, noting the lines of tension in the Beta female's body as she loped away into the forest, then disappeared. She drew in a breath, then glanced at Hawkeye, wondering if the Alpha female noticed too. Leto had agreed to follow Hawkeye's lead, yet Pied sensed there would be a significant amount of friction as the two she-wolves power-struggled between themselves.

Hawkeye announced that they would take these lands for their own. The quickness of this decision took Pied by surprise, yet she embraced it immediately. It felt like poetic justice to her. Besides, she was eager to get their new life underway. After her leader spoke, her tone one of ferocity, the subordinate wolf punctuated the statement with a growl of affirmation. She then immediately squatted and urinated, an act which she would repeat dozens of times alongside Hawkeye and Leto as they established their dominance over the plateau.

Hawkeye nudged Pied gently from her spot, and immediately marked over where the piebald wolf had. Though Pied was her friend, the raven-colored wolf wanted to be sure that there was a definite line that should not be crossed. She then walked forward a few feet and sat, looking to Pied.

"She seems a bit tense, doesn't she? I suppose we might have a bit of a problem in the future, though that does not worry me." Though it was only the second time she had spoken, it was said as more of an aside than anything. She shrugged and then stood up, tracing back to the borders and walking along the edge of the plateau. The she-wolf expected that Pied would be close behind, also looking at the new view they would share as a pack.

When Hawkeye nudged her aside and marked the same place, Pied did not interpret this as a slight. Instead, she knew the Alpha simply wanted to douse the borders in her scent, to complement Pied's. The subordinate female stood off to the side, fighting back a yawn, as she waited for Hawkeye to finish.

While Hawkeye didn't seem to be bothered by the tension between herself and Leto, Pied couldn't help but feel concerned. The last thing this pack needed was discord in the ranks. If those at the top were at odds, it would trickle down to the rest of the pack and everything could go sour.

They began to roam along the edges of the plateau, Hawkeye in front and Pied steadfastly loping in her Alpha's wake. Her tongue darted out to dampen her dry nose and lips. She said nothing, spending her energy on keeping up with her leader, surveying the land with all her applicable senses and occasionally squatting to sprinkle her scent.

The charcoal wolf stopped at a clearing; the view overlooked the entire valley, including a river and the mountain across the way. Hawkeye sat in silence for a while, taking in the surrounding lands with her crystal clear vision. She looked to Pied next to her and smiled.

"We have taken a good claim. The herd here will supply the pack with food, and the borders will be easy to guard. I am glad you came with to scout, Pied. It has eased some of the tension between Leto and myself. She does not seem very happy here; I would be more surprised if she challenged me over leaving at this point." Hawkeye accused the absent wolf of betrayal, but as long as her wolves were safe, she did not care.

I made an assumption toward the end—hope that's cool. :)

Their circuit eventually led them to a ledge overlooking a wonderful view of the valley floor below. Little did Pied know, her cousin had sat here often, utilizing the ledge as a personal thinking spot. Her scent barely registered in the piebald wolf's awareness now as she followed Hawkeye onto the outcropping and then fell back onto her haunches.

When Hawkeye spoke of Leto, Pied bit her lip and glanced off into the forest, wondering where the Beta had gone. Perhaps she was still looking for prey. Her eyes drifted back to the Alpha female and she nodded. This would be a choice territory for the pack. Even if it stayed small, this was the best possible move to guarantee their survival through the winter.

"If you want to stay here and guard the castle, I'll go back to the forest and tell the others of the new pack land," Pied offered. She squinted into the distance. The misty raid had stopped for now but night would arrive in a few hours. "If I head out directly, I'll make it back to Blackfoot Forest by nightfall. I'll rest for a few hours, then gather everybody in the morning and bring them here. Sound like a plan?"

When Hawkeye assented, Pied stepped forward and nibbled at the underside of her leader's chin. Then, with one more sweeping glance at the plateau, she began to climb down and head back toward their old stomping grounds to gather their pack mates and return to their new home.

Hawkeye sighed as she watched the mottled white female leave. Her friend didn't seem worried about other wolves, but a twinge of worry overcame the Alpha. She watched Pied until she disappeared, and then she watched the view from her claim once more.

Yes, this land would be fitting for the wintertime. After the sun made a low arc across the sky, Hawkeye lifted herself from her haunches and turned. Her key-lime orbs scanned the woods briefly, and she set off to find the den that the Dragonwatchers' had used; she might as well make use of something handy, and potentially modify the her new keep. She kept her eyes scanning as she went, but no sight, smell, or sound from Leto. Hawkeye sighed once more, and kept scouting for home.