Blacktail Deer Plateau sincerely in light

-- All welcome.

Akhlut stood at the plateau's edge, where rolling foothills began their change into rocky outcropping. His posture was as stiff as the great stone slab that was the Plateau itself. This much further inland, a thin blanket of snow lay flawlessly where once tall grasses had flourished under the summer sun, and against that ivory backdrop, the Alpha of Horizon Ridge cut an imposing figure of ebony.

The clipped howl issued moments before faded into the cold air of a winter morning, bearing with it the tones that would set the atmosphere for this meeting. He had requested the Alpha's presence, announcing himself the leader of a pack in his own right, and declaring their relations neutral, and at this point, terse. Brevity and directness were not due to any ill will to the Plateau pack; they were simply a natural and expected necessity when the all around behavior of this pack was unknown and their attitude towards outsiders unassessed. It was, frankly, good business to err on the side of caution.

Akhlut spared a moment, while he waited stoically, to wonder where he had gained that insight from. Certainly his parents had never sat him down and expressly trained him for leadership. It seemed to come so naturally to both of his mothers that he supposed they had never even considered that it might be something they could teach. Yet he found himself thinking of these things, like establishing communication with their nearest neighbors, practically as common sense. He supposed that so long as his common sense and luck held out, he might be able to do this leadership business after all.

Pied watched the weasel as it frolicked across the snowy forest floor, spontaneously bouncing in the air every once in a while as if it had springs in its feet. She loped lazily after it, though she showed no signs of predatory intention, nor did the weasel seem concerned with her proximity. Of course, the weasel had nothing to fear—and Pied had nothing to gain from trying to hunt it—considering it was already dead.

When a throaty howl rose into the air, Pied snapped to attention, her ears pricking. She gave the weasel a last glance, then turned and began trotting toward the borders. She reached the edge of the plateau overlooking the flatlands below and, from up here, she could see the caller. His swarthy figure stood out against the backdrop of snow.

Soon enough, she climbed down the footpath—stumbling only once—into the lowlands and approached the stranger. He looked rather intimidating and Pied felt trepidation creep over her. Although dominance didn't come to her naturally—except perhaps in cases of outright trespassing, as with Kisu—the Delta attempted to hold her head and tail at a height suiting her rank.

"Hello," she said, her voice crisp but friendly. "I'm Pied, Delta of Blacktail Deer Plateau. Can I help you?" As she spoke, she took in his scent and committed it to memory. She realized, with a twinge of envy, that he brought with him the vague scent of the sea.

The midnight wolf smiled as she took a step back and looked at her work. The den was now complete with two tunnels and a deep burrow. It wasn't hot inside, but cozy warm to the outside elements of snow, sleet, and rain (depending on the mood of the sky).

Leaving to scope where the Blacktail deer had headed, the male voice spoke to her. A male Alpha awaits you at the borders. Hawkeye growled, once again annoyed at her poor hearing. Was it getting worse? First Pied, and now this male who bothered her scouting time. She sighed and turned the opposite direction. She would check the herd's location later, and maybe even gather some food for the cache.

Arriving at the borders, she noticed Pied and a black and white male with blue eyes. The male smelled salty, something that Hawkeye had never noted on any wolf before. "I am Hawkeye, Alpha of this pack. And you are, Alpha?" The black wolf let her agitation set briefly on her tone while asking who the male alpha was. She set a large paw forward and stretched her chest out.

Akhlut waited with nothing but the most bland of pleasant expressions on his features, not knowing the sort of reception he would recieve. He could easily have been ignored by leadership altogether and been interrogated by a guardian or a lesser sentry, which would have seemed somewhat rude, at least, when his request for a leader was summarily ignored. As it were, however, Akhlut didn't have to trouble himself with such issues. A pale female with strange coloring was the first to find him, and he filed her name and rank away in memory: Pied, the Delta of Blacktail Deer Plateau. The name of the pack was valuable as well, and if Akhlut was not terribly fond of the distance of this place from the Sea, he was at least impressed that the very name of the pack implied a territory lush with prey. That boded well for the pack's sustainability.

Before Akhlut could introduce himself or state his purpose, the sight of a black she-wolf approaching forstalled him. He would not repeat himself; instead, he waited until she arrived. Her own greeting was a bit gruff for his liking, bordering on impolite rather than simply purfunctory, but introductions were such delicate things that Akhlut didn't blame the woman for not being skilled in them. "You know, I didn't come all this way not to introduce myself," he pointed out with a friendly smile, both rebuking her for her question and making light of the tenseness she'd brought to the interaction at the same time. "I'm pleased to meet you, Pied and Hawkeye. I am Akhlut Kesuk-Nereides. I've laid claim to a bit of land on the seaside, past the mountains, called Horizon Ridge. I believe Blacktail Deer Plateau may be our nearest neighbors." There, let them nitpick anything he'd said, for it was all perfectly forthright and even friendlier than he'd intended on initiating the meeting.

Before he could return an introduction, the sound of a hasty approach at her rear diverted their attention momentarily. When Pied glanced over a dappled shoulder and saw Hawkeye trotting toward them, she woofed to her Alpha and let her head and tail fall in submission. She then faced the stranger again as Hawkeye slid up beside her, the two she-wolves presenting a united front.

He seemed slightly bemused by Hawkeye's gruff approach but he offered his name and place of residence, along with a few pleasantries. Pied's tail twitched and she dipped her muzzle to acknowledge him, then canted her head to allow her superior to speak first. She didn't know what Hawkeye would make of his presence here, yet Pied herself felt intrigued by the mention of this pack that lived by the seaside and she wanted to learn more.

Hawkeye was taken aback by this Akhlut's pleasant tone. She examined the male closely, taking in his icy but kind eyes and the black fur with white chest and socked legs. He was handsome, she would give him that.

With these thoughts on her mind, Hawkeye made sure her tone rested on a more calm one this time. "Akhlut," the midnight wolf said while nodding. "I am assuming you came here to the borders and called for a specific reason?" Merging packs was probably the last thing on this wolf's mind, so Hawkeye settled for a possible truce between the two, maybe even friendly allies.

But, the black wolf then pondered about where he came from. The sea? She had heard tales of this from the elder generations in Amestris, before she journeyed away and ended up in Blackfoot Forest. There was actually a sea past the mountains? The female secretly wondered what this place was like, only ever having seen lakes and rivers like the one that sat on the edge of her borders.

It seemed that pleasantries were to be met with a brisk attention to the official business at hand, and so Akhlut followed Hawkeye's lead, giving up any pretense of small talk, since she would have none of it herself. He spared a moment of sympathy for Pied, the Delta, who semed more inclined to share of herself and of her pack, but who was being nearly ignored by her own Alpha, but then, it was not his place to judge.

The Kesuk-Nereides cleared his throat, then answered Hawkeye's query as frankly as he could. "I came to learn what I could of the pack at Blacktail Deer Plateau, and to determine if our relationship will be as allies or as reluctant neighbors or as enemies." His gaze softened, touched on Pied's mottled features, and indicated his own preference for peace, but as he shifted back to Hawkeye he felt a vague distaste for the woman. Something seemed just a bit Dark about her, and Akhlut would have taken her for a follower of Sos if there were any way she could have known of the dark bear goddess his Kesuk relatives revered. He couldn't quite put his nose on what it was, but the gut feeling about the dark Alpha Female lingered.

"How many are your numbers? Are there still deer here, or have they moved on? Do you intend to hunt in Ravensblood Forest? Your plateau is large and is one of the only ways to pass to the south without crossing the river or climbing a mountain. Would you give Horizon Ridge wolves free passage?" Akhlut rattled off the questions by rote, then fell silent, again expectant. He had accompanied his mothers to such meetings before, and was surprised at the things he remembered to ask.

This'll be my last post. Please let me know if the minor assumption toward the end is a bother, Sophie. :3

It quickly became clear that this would be a meeting between Alphas and that Pied need not linger. Although she would've liked to hang around and learn about Akhlut and his pack, she was sure Hawkeye would share the information with her later. For now, her dark companion didn't seem to pay her any mind, so the Delta took that to mean she should make herself scarce.

"I'll leave you two to talk," she said during a break in the conversation. "It was nice meeting you, Akhlut. I'll see you later, Hawkeye," Pied said, nodding to the former and nudging the latter beneath her chin. Hawkeye nuzzled her in return before she quickly spun and began to head back toward the path leading up to the greater plateau.

The wind pressed at her back as she began to climb, halting her. Pied swung around and, without even thinking as to whether she might be speaking over them, she asked suddenly, "Akhlut, do you have a wolf named Jinx in your ranks?" It was his scent. It had just blown right into her nose and it brought to mind an image of Jinx lifting her tail and waving it specifically to wave her pack scent around. The two were the same and Pied paused, awaiting confirmation, before thanking Akhlut for the information and shuffling up the slope and out of view.

ooc: I feel like it's kindof awkward with Pied's question and Sophie not being able to post because of the order, so I made Pied ask the question after Hawkeye replied. Kat, message me if this is a problem and I will edit immediately!!

Hawkeye raised her eyebrows and blinked wildly for a moment at all of Akhlut's questions. She looked upon the male, studying his features. Icy colored, but kind eyes. White socks and chest, but a mostly black pelt that was as dark as her own. Handsome is what she decided on.

Focus... make a pact... the male whispered into her ear, but this time it was a louder whisper, and with more rasp. He seemed almost... excited.

Hawkeye took a deep breath and held it for a moment, then release it slowly and began to speak. "First of all, I would like to be allies. I will allow your pack to cross my borders and make passage as long as they howl, letting me know they have entered my lands. I have not scouted Ravensblood forest before; I did not know that there was any food to be had there, but you are allowed to hunt on my lands as long as your wolves don't get greedy." She smiled with the last part, letting Akhlut know that there was a non-serious side to her sometimes. "And what of your lands? If we are allies, are we free to come and go as well?"

And then the black wolf broke her eyes free of Akhlut as Pied made her sudden goodbyes. Hawkeye nuzzled her in return, whispering an apology if Pied had felt left out in any way; it was not her intention to make her friend feel like a ghost.

Hawkeye's large head pulled back around to the male Alpha, before Pied posed her question, which made Hawkeye still and watch Pied from the corner of her eye. She wanted to see where this question would lead.

Actually Kat addressed it fine in her post, I think, and Akhlut answered yes by a little bit of powerplay. I'll make sure it's covered in my reply too. <3

Pied's question caught Akhlut utterly off-guard, but the hurry in which she posed it kept him from making a detailed response. He only nodded, knowing the name of the female packmate he'd yet to meet properly but knew by sight and smell, and frowned, wondering why this near-stranger from another pack had asked after one of his followers. He'd assumed that Jinx, like others, was but a wanderer, pledging herself to a fledgling pack to survive winter's harsh realities. As the dappled Delta of Blacktail Deer Plateau departed in haste, Akhlut tried to return his focus to Hawkeye's conversation, but he wondered, in the back of his mind, and resolved to confront Jinx about the issue, to see if she'd been making trouble already in neighboring packs when he'd yet to even set up a pact with them.

As alliances went, Akhlut was rather surprised about the terms that Hawkeye presented for theirs. They were less strict than he'd intended to impose, and for his own wolves, Akhlut would ensure that those stricter standards were upheld. He had no interest in intertwining their packs or sharing more than a casually courteous alliance; he only meant to keep travel in the area free and tensions to a minimum. Clearing his throat, Akhlut said, "Neither pack will claim Ravensblood Forest, then," he clarified, "and neither will hunt in each other's claimed lands. We may travel through one another's borders with a clear announcement howl. These are agreeable terms. If you should find yourself with an enemy or conflict, come to me and we will discuss it. I cannot promise Horizon Ridge's aid, but we will do what we are able if circumstances arise to necessitate it."

As Akhlut had not gotten all of the answers he had requested, primarily about the pack's numbers and composition, he fell silent and did not volunteer more information. He meant to keep things formal, as he didn't really like Hawkeye particularly. He almost thought she appeared, at one point, to be listening to something further away than his voice, and the distant look she briefly acquired was unnerving.

Hawkeye wondered silently what Akhlut would do with the question that Pied had posed. It seemed a little odd and random to have a wolf of another pack inquire about a subordinate, but maybe the male would think nothing of it and toss the idea aside.

Then, she thought about Jinx. She just left her pack to fend for themselves and then decided to join another. As if she just quietly sneaked into the ranks of another pack, both for safety and anonymity. Hawkeye herself would not seek out and confront the coward who deserted her followers, but if the Alpha had found that someone in her pack had done the same, it was highly possible that she would boot them from the pack and tell them to never return.

Wondering what Akhlut thought of her, Hawkeye heard a cackle from the male that seemed to bounce from the corners of her mind. Keeping her focus on Akhlut, she nodded. "Allies until proven otherwise, then. If you have any trouble, come find me and we will decide the same of Blacktail Deer's assistance." She spoke honestly, but found that there was a certain tension between the two.

He follows the light the rasp answered her unasked question. She hit pause in her mind. Why would Akhlut "following the light" matter, though? Hawkeye's bloodlust had subsided almost completely, besides the fact of the slight flash of red when finding out about Jinx. The only thing that could be considered anywhere near dark about her was the male wolf who told her things. At least, she thought he was a wolf; it never occurred to her to think of him as anything else. So, the blackened wolf wondered what significance could be found in Akhlut being a wolf of the light and following Atka.

Wrapping this up since it's older and the important business is done, LOL. If you'd rather I didn't, PM me.

Allies until proven otherwise. That was, then, neutrality, really, but Akhlut was not going to enlighten the woman. It was what he'd wanted in any case, an assurance that his pack members' travel would remain unimpeded, and that he would not find himself suddenly beseiged by Blacktail Deer Plateau for settling a land that was too close to theirs, or some such casus belli. "Very well, then, Hawkeye," Akhlut said, his tone clearly conclusive. "Blacktail Deer Plateau wolves need have no concern from Horizon Ridge wolves at this time, and we will continue to be pleasant neighbors."

His tone indicated without words that if her wolves started trouble, the pact would be forfeit. If any of his wolves tried such stupidity, they would no longer be one of his wolves. "Until we meet again, Hawkeye, may you walk in ever in Light." A smile that might have been charming if directed towards another seemed only like a smirk when bestowed upon Hawkeye, but Akhlut couldn't stop himself from taunting the other woman lightly. She oughn't take it seriously, but if she did, that was surely a blemish on her character, not on his. Akhlut departed with a spring in his step.