-Avis-
Mentions: Choenyi

The male had already taken several paces away from the clan of wolves, or whatever they were. Obviously, some tension was between the group and Avis personally didn't want any part of it. In his experience, packs either stood firm and prospered, or they were torn apart by power hungry wolves. And that certain group already seemed to have a couple screws loose, so he was not willing to stick around much longer to watch the carnage. Avis preferred a simple life. One without the dramatics and bloodshed that typically came with pack life.

Being on his own for most of his life had been a little tough, but above all, it had been peaceful. No wolves were around to tell him what to do. He slept on his own schedule and could rise even when the sun was already high in the sky. He ate what he wanted, had no responsibility to anyone else. Simple. But lonely. So across his lifetime, he was welcoming to any strangers he met along the way. Occasional acquaintances never hurt, as long as they had no ill intentions. Sharing a meal or a shelter for a couple days was pleasant. But at the end of it all, Avis was left standing alone. And maybe that was what he preferred. Or maybe that was all he was used to.

As he continued walking away from the pack, the sound of quick steps made his ears swivel around. When he turned to cast a glance behind him, Avis was met with a wolf racing at him. Unprepared, he easily fell with an audible "Oof..". Staring up at the female, he had been too frazzled to think straight and to even recognize his friend. Instead, his mind was racing as to why she had decided to change her tune so fast and pin him down. What had he done now?

"Have you gone insan-"

Ave! Is it really you? It's Choenyi!

His amber eyes blinked in surprise. Now his body relaxed. Before it had been flexing as he tried to fight the wolf off of him. "Choenyi?". As she climbed off of him, he rose back to his paws, eyeing the stranger who he slowly began to recognize. "Cho!". Once he was sure of himself, his tail began to wag behind him as his ears flicked forward. With a smile, he trotted over to her to give her a gentle nudge on the cheek. "It's so good to see you. Fresh food sounds wonderful..." He glanced back towards the group of wolves and lowered his voice. "But your little group there is... well, they obviously don't like me. I don't want to stir up any trouble. And besides, this one" he motioned to the brown male "wants some free food and I cannot blame him. I am gonna lead him over. Perhaps after the carcass is cleaned up, I will join your hunt. But any of you are welcome to help clean up the bones with us." He offered her a smile.

"You speak too much."

Eyes drilling into the first stranger, her lips twitched with vexation. His previous words had sunken in, the rudeness and boldness of them. His words did little to phase her, until a certain.. sentence was spoken from his lips.

"Why you weaklings are still alive is beyond me."

"You know nothing," she spoke in monotone, gaze filled with such wrath and exasperation, it was a wonder how she managed to hold it for so long. Callidora stared without blinking, without breathing, as if both judging and observing the male before her. What did he know? Who did he think he was, sauntering over and demanding his questions be answered? What did he know about weakness. The male needed to be humbled, or lectured, or something. "How about you wait until we ask the questions, yeah?" Not entertaining him any further, Callidora managed to do little to conceal her growing disapproval, that is, until he closed in on Nekti and Choenyi.

Casually, Callidora inserted her figure between the stranger and the others, eyes glued upon him. She didn't trust him. She didn't like him. She didn't want his presence here after all. These were difficult times indeed, though that didn't give one reason to act so boldly. He was lucky herself and the others weren't more aggressive. He was lucky to be upon their camp, and yet he still spoke in such a way? He still-

A sudden, high-pitched laugh was sounded. "I'm sorry, what?" Callidora's head whipped towards him with a look of pure amusement on her face. That was it? He decided to join their.. clan? The female continued to release a chuckle before her face fell. "You don't get to make that decision." While he would be a good addition in terms of survival, frankly, she didn't believe half of his words. Even Choenyi understood the humour behind his words, laughing as well as if this were all some inside joke. "What makes you think you can approach us, demand and order us for your benefit, and then claim to now be part of our.. clan?" She stepped towards him, eyes narrowing. "I don't know where you came from, but that's not how things work around here. That's not how we function, is that understood?" His confidence truly got on her nerves. It was seen by her eye twitch, which had started up again.

Callidora didn't like him. His character was off, not to mention the way he spoke, especially towards the second stranger. The way he demanded to be taken to food, one would think they didn't know one another, but the idea certainly couldn't be passed up. Not that easily. For all she knew, it could be an act and, oh, this was a large predicament indeed.

At least Nekti understood, declining the offer for food.

Her ears perked when Choenyi neared her, mentioning them working together. "That's what I was thinking, but it's an odd trick, if I would even call it that." Just like that, the two began to work together, despite having obvious disputes with one another. While there may be frustration between them at times, at least they understood when to put their disagreements past them. Callidora knew that Choenyi was a good fighter with a strong spirit. Even if there were times where they disliked one another, she was good to have on the team. Opening her mouth, she closed it softly when Nekti began to speak, answering her earlier question.

Callidora nodded, eyes still remaining on the two trespassers. For a moment, however, they did snap onto Nekti, a look of pride flashing in her eyes before vanishing. She had seen Nekti head to her aid, only to turn back to Choenyi. For a moment, Callidora had felt bitter at the sudden abandonment, but then.. then she remembered. Nekti didn't do that to absolutely anyone! It meant he trusted her to do the right thing. He believed she didn't need help and was able to take care of herself. While action minuscule, Callidora couldn't help but feel at ease for a moment, a smile tugging at her lips, as if she had just made her parents proud. However, she swallowed that smile. After all, it wasn't the right timing. Not in front of strangers. Instead, she flicked her ears, focusing back on the true matter at hand.

"They seem as if they don't know one another, but for all we know, it's a ploy." Tone dipping, she continued, "the brown one has too much ego as well, may I add." Bitterly, she threw a glance at the first stranger before her hackles raised at the mention of Yalina and Acesco.. in danger. How could she forget? What if a third wolf had found them? What if they were currently fighting? That couldn't be.. she would have heard a howl.. unless they're already dead. No! She couldn't think that way.

Turning to Choenyi, Callidora released a scoff. "Please, you think I would invite a random individual to join our group? To endanger us? To endanger Yalina?" Pure bafflement was seen in Callidora's face as she gazed at Choenyi. Did she even know her? "I merely hinted that a deal could be made." Leaning in closer to the other female, she explained. "I meant to bring this up. He could help in our hunt in exchange for a piece. Who wouldn't take that offer up? That way, both parties win. He gets his food, we have food and the chance of a more successful hunt, and then off he goes on his way." Her plan was realistic. Gazing at Nekti, she sought out his counsil for a brief moment, wondering what his input would be on her plan. There would be no reason for the brown wolf to attempt and betray them. Only a fool would pass up such an offer. He'd practically be getting a meal for free by helping.

Releasing a sight, she turned to Nekti and Choenyi once more. "We really need to go on more patrols to warn others of our presence." Muttering her words, it must have been a weak scent if these two hobbled on over, ignoring that this area was claimed for now. Rather than speaking any further, Callidora began to think things through if this took a turn for the worse. Nekti had a good height, though she and Choenyi were on the shorter end. However, the brown one was also on the shorter end, being around the same height as herself. The grey one was on the taller end as well, so if a fight ever went down, it would be fairly even. Especially if herself or Choenyi went to go warn Yalina and Acesco.

"Nekti, you should probably stay here regardless." She knew that he would understand what she was trying to say. He was taller and had more experience. If there was a fight, he'd be the best out of them all, so he needed to stay and..

Callidora turned to the grey one, huffing when he spoke. "I don't smell anybody, no." That still didn't mean she trusted him. This could still be a plan of sorts. For all she knew, they waited until there were no scents and.. Was she being too paranoid? No, it was better safe than sorry as she liked to say. "Indeed, we would pummel you if it came down to it." Her words were less directed to the grey one, now called Avis, but moreso to the brown one. His arrogance would be his downfall, she could see it now. He needed to understand that his attitude wasn't tolerable, not here.

She watched as the grey- Avis trotted off before hesitating. He spoke well, that was certain. He had proper points as well. What if he was telling the truth? Food, even a little, could help Yalina. Callidora would offer her portion as well. That could certainly help her sister grow stronger. It was what she needed. It was clear that Callidora was confused on what to do. Risk following this Avis, and end up finding free food or falling into a trap, or go hunting where it would be either successful or unsuccessful. Pondering, Callidora glanced briefly in the direction of where Yalina and Acesco were before turning to Nekti. "What do you think we should do?"

She paused, eyes suddenly snapping onto Choenyi as the female raced away. Lips curling up, Callidora, for a moment, believed that this was it. A fight was about to break out. Preparing herself, Callidora positioned herself into a defensive stance, her head lowering to protect her neck. "What is she doing?" She suddenly questioned, head lifting as Choenyi, in fact, did not attack, but seemed almost.. excited? "Is her.. tail wagging?"

"Ave! Is it really you? It's Choenyi!"

"Choenyi? Cho!"

Why, this reunion was enough to make a grown wolf cry, or in Callidora's case, throw up. Disgust flew over the female's face as it twisted into confusion, only to rest on an expression radiating pure annoyance when the grey male was invited to the hunt.

"Hold on, you can't just make this decision, Choenyi." Speaking up, the female stepped forward. "You didn't even ask for our opinions before inviting Avis, Ave, whoever that is on our hunt." Motioning to herself and Nekti, Callidora stared at the paler coated male. At least Callidora brought her plan to the others revolving around the first stranger rather than jumping right into it and inviting him without discussion. She valued their opinions, the least she expected was for her own thoughts to be valued in return.

Turning to Avis, Callidora shook her head. "It's not that we don't like you, we don't know you. You're a stranger." Her sternness decreased slightly, her eyes locking onto Choenyi as her tone lowered. "How do you know one another?" Callidora wasn't going to argue, she hoped the other female knew that. She was simply hoping for answers. Putting her pride and stubbornness behind her, the female gazed at Choenyi. There was a long silence before she spoke again. "If you truly trust him, then I will believe you." She was putting trust in Choenyi, and she hoped it wouldn't backfire on her. If the other female believed Avis would benefit the group, then Callidora would be willing to work together, so long as he was no threat to herself, the others, and especially Yalina.

Nekti // Male // 6 years, 4 months // Mentions: Callidora, Choenyi, Avis, Peony, Neziton, Yalina (ind.)

The grey wolf had a certain centered calmness about him, in his way of dealing with the pack and in his way of dealing with the other wolf. Nekti took a small step back, not a fearful reaction but rather a small gesture of respect. He would grant some dignity to this wolf - it seemed like he would be capable of maintaining it. Even if he had something planned, even if these two wolves were playing some strange game of pompous wolf, reasonable wolf, it seemed that they might be able to deal with the grey wolf without resorting to violence or intimidation. Was he genuinely trying to help them? If he was, he wasn’t likely to have long in this world. But Nekti figured his game was a bit more useful to himself. He was looking for a pack, though he might not be so eager once he found out how few of them remained. The idea of these two wolves coming at the same time being a coincidence was laughable, but maybe they were both playing for pack positions or maybe they were competing. The ways they played it might have made Nekti more inclined to believe the grey wolf, but as of now he was suspending his judgment. Choenyi, of course, made things immediately worse by resorting to hostility and slander. Nekti might not have believed in excessive diplomacy, but immediate defensiveness was about equally as effective. “Icky little loners.” Sometimes Nekti found it hard to believe that Choenyi was nearly as old as him. Even when they’d both been young wolves, she’d been a prime example of the difference between age and maturity. Nekti shifted as Callidora moved towards Choenyi, but he maintained his position.

As Nekti spoke about the two wolves and their potential danger, he heard Choenyi quickly stifle a chuckle. He flicked his ear, perhaps in annoyance, but kept talking as though he hadn’t noticed anything. The other two seemed to agree, and their suspicion was clearly evident. Good. Nekti didn’t like playing games. He made sure not to appear worried, though, instead looking as though he were deciding what to do with two misbehaving pups. Their three options were to bluff, fight, or befriend the wolves. Nekti’s first choice would have been to attempt a rational conversation with the grey one and keep the brown one there until they could decide what to do with him, but Choenyi had already made that a good deal harder. To further emphasize this point, Choenyi asked in a deceivingly rational voice whether Callidora had invited the grey wolf to join them. Nekti had been party to more than enough power struggles laced with diplomacy in his life, and he found that despite all the delicacy, what it eventually down to was who was clever or strong enough to eliminate the opposition. Callidora’s response brought up the sore subject of Yalina again, and Nekti stopped looking at the two females, instead studying the males in front of him. He let Callidora and Choenyi say whatever they would to each other, but as Callidora got back onto the topic of a plan, he tuned in again. She told him it would be better for him to stay, and he nodded in agreement. It made perfect sense, of course.

As the grey wolf piped up and Callidora began speaking to him, Nekti said in a low voice to Choenyi, “He could be useful as a hunter, if we’re willing to trust him.” He turned his gaze to the brown wolf, his expression something akin to a glower. “This one, on the other hand, is free to scrounge carcass meat if that’s what he wants. If he needed help, he would ask for it. And if he were to ask us to join our hunt, it would be with the understanding that we were doing him a favor. He can pretend all he wants, but I won’t. He knows where he stands in this situation.” If the wolf wanted to part ways with them, Nekti would be only too happy. If he wanted to stay with them, he’d have a tough job of convincing them after his overdone show of confidence. Nekti didn’t look away from the brown wolf as Neziton wandered into the general vicinity in a sort of daze. Nekti didn’t appear to have spotted him, or maybe he was ignoring him like he did with most other problems in his life. If somebody was going to go over and comfort Neziton, or help him, or just talk to him, it wasn’t going to be him.

The grey wolf had to move past Nekti to leave, but Nekti didn’t bother trying to block him. That would only start a fight. He was still looking at the brown wolf. But as Choenyi suddenly sprinted past him, he whipped around to look after her. What was she doing? Did she really think her inflated ego was worth getting into a fight at this difficult time? Nekti snapped his gaze back onto the brown wolf quickly, not giving him time to try anything, and said to Callidora “Watch him,” before moving towards Choenyi. But wait, no, she wasn’t fighting. She was . . . playing? She seemed to know him by name, and all traces of wariness had left her. Nekti’s tentative respect for the grey wolf all but dissipated. Choenyi was prancing like a pup with her siblings. Nekti knew for certain that this wolf had never been part of the pack, which meant he was either a loner or part of another pack. When Nekti had been young, the very idea of a wolf befriending someone outside of their pack was absurd. It wasn’t even a rule - it was beyond that, it was something that no wolf would be caught dead doing. Of course, it wasn’t really like that in more recent years, but Nekti sometimes had trouble letting go of those old prejudices and rituals.

“You should join us and hunt. You get could some fresh food for once.” You should join us and hunt. That was some departure from Did you invite him to be part of our pack? She was overstepping her boundaries, but Nekti didn’t even have time to say anything, because now the grey wolf - Ave? - was greeting her in return. He seemed equally as cheerful, but maybe he was aware of what a breach of etiquette inviting him on the hunt had been, because he was far more tactful about the matter. Unfortunately, Callidora had already latched onto it, and she was no happier about it than Nekti was. But although she started out angry, she seemed to regain her reason. She spoke calmly to Choenyi, and Nekti listened, seeing that there was no real need for him to intervene. He was, at least, more inclined to trust Ave than the other wolf, but he certainly wanted to hear an explanation for how Choenyi had met this wolf. The brown wolf was whining about something, some vegetable he seemed to be in need of, but Nekti did nothing but move around him in a half-circle so he could watch both Choenyi with Ave and the brown wolf at the same time.