Conrad // Male // None // Packless (Thisam) // Mentions: Keena, Neziton, Deyanira (ind)

Con realized a moment after moving around the wolf that the wolf had, in fact, not noticed him at all. He seemed a bit loopy, and lost in his own world, totally unaware of Con. Conrad wasn’t sure whether to leave the wolf alone, hoping he wouldn’t run across their camp, or to reveal himself and lead the wolf alone. If they got into an altercation, Con couldn’t be sure it would go well. Con was quiet, weighing his options and watching the wolf talking to . . . himself? Yes, he seemed to be talking to himself. Well, Con had never been alone for as long as this wolf probably had, and truth be told, he probably would have started talking to himself too. Who else was there to talk to? Con was thinking hard when he felt something brushing up against him. He whipped around and started to snarl, but realized it was just Keena and relaxed immediately. “He’s a bit too close to camp, don’t you think?” he said, tilting his head to get a good look at the wolf. He looked rather similar to Con, really. He had the same porcupine-looking fur, the same chocolate brown fur, the same dark face. He would have blended in with his surroundings rather easily if he hadn’t been muttering to himself. Con sniffed the air. He didn’t smell like a pack wolf. And he didn’t look aggressive, either, but Con knew better than to assume anything like that. Every wolf was capable of killing - a wolf who wasn’t would quickly be swallowed up by the wilderness.

Con still remembered the rules of his old pack, and the harshness of dragging lone and packless wolves in so that their Head could have the honor of delivering the fatal blow. These wolves still made his fur bristle, as though he were still obligated to wrestle them down and drag them back to camp. It was almost too easy with lone wolves, who had nobody who cared about them and no other wolves to back them up. Con was grateful to at least still have Keena and Deyanira, even if they were hardly a real pack. Rules, positions, traditions, all of that was gone once they had been banished, and that was what made a pack . . . well, a pack. “I’m going to lead him away,” said Con. He hated the idea of another wolf being so close to their dens. It made his skin prickle with anxiety, and he didn’t like to think what would happen if this wolf did happen to have some connection with the packs. His old pack had sometimes sent wolves out to pretend to be lone wolves, drawing in the other loners and then hauling them to camp. Con wasn’t willing to risk something like that happening to him and the other two. The only way to tell how aggressive this wolf was was to provide some live bait. Con didn’t bother doing anything silly like telling Keena to stay safe and far away from the action. She would do whatever it was she wanted. Con had no authority in their tiny pack.

Con looked at Keena again, wondering vaguely if Deyanira wasn’t going to show up in the middle of this whole mess, and then moved around until he was far enough away from her for her not to be spotted. If she wanted to, she could easily help him by circling around and confusing the wolf when they tried to go after Conrad, or else secure a hiding place and nab Con when the wolf tried to chase him down. Conrad made a loud rustling sound, making absolutely sure that the other wolf had spotted his amber eyes peeking out at him. The wolf was in the meadow, but the trees started to thicken near the foothills of the mountains, where Con was now. He was more adept at running in the mountains, and hopefully this wolf wouldn’t be as practised. Once he was sure the wolf had seen him, Conrad moved back a little bit, trying to lure the wolf after him, in the opposite direction of their densite. He flattened his ears and widened his eyes, looking ever so slightly frightened - no need to go all-out panic just yet. He had to make the wolf think he was just a bit nervous, but not going to bolt just yet.

Fenrir // Male // Subordinate (Apothecary) // Starry Bane // Mentions: Indeevar, Rune, Hoarfrost (ind)

“Why are you out here?” Fenrir thought it was a pretty simple question, and most wolves would have answered pretty easily with something like “oh, just hunting” or “I’m planning a mutiny” or “hehehe, nothing, why do you ask?” Rune, of course, stumbled over the words, but Fenrir wasn’t anything if he wasn’t patient, and he nodded along as she tried to figure out what it was she was doing. “I suppose I came out here to . . . em, smell the trees?” she tried, but she quickly rectified this statement to looking at the trees. “Mmm,” said Fenrir. And then he added calmly, “Do you know which trees smell the best, Rune? Ponderosa pines. They bark’s good for wounds and kidney problems, and sometimes I get a little extra so my den smells nice.” It was then that Fenrir had spotted Indeevar, and he continued the conversation, going on about stars and such fascinating things. Fenrir was looking at Indeevar when Rune had her little scare, and though he wasn’t quick enough to catch her jumping a foot in the air, he did see her swooning like she’d just survived a chance encounter with a very angry bear. “Oh, Indeevar’s with me,” he said as though he’d just remembered, though of course nobody was falling for that. He looked at Indeevar, who was doubled over and wheezing with laughter, and found that he couldn’ stop himself from laughing too. If Indee’s ridiculous faces and Rune’s reaction hadn’t been enough, seeing the chubby little pup faceplant into the dirt while laughing his ass off certainly did it for Fenrir. He got that wheezy sort of laugh that was so hard to get rid of, and he would have flopped down on his side if he hadn’t been too busy watching Indeevar.

“Was he going to scare me?” Rune asked, looking frightened at the very thought. Fenrir was too busy laughing at Indeevar to answer, but fortunately the pup answered it himself. Fenrir was almost glad he had given Indee away, because, yes, two scares in a row might send Rune right over the edge. A little at a time, Fenrir told himself. And maybe one day I can walk up next to her without her fur flying out in a panic. “Well, youngfangs will be youngfangs,” said Fenrir in a sage voice, though in truth he had never found too much sense in this phrase. It was like saying “chipmunks will be chipmunks” or “rocks will be rocks.” It was an obscure comment that derailed the conversation. “If you’re just smelling the trees, Rune, do you want to tag along and see Indeevar take down the rabbit colony? It’s going to be an impressive sight. And you can smell the trees from anywhere in the forest. I’ll find a ponderosa for you.” Fenrir generally didn’t take Indeevar too far away from camp, in case someone realized he was missing and started freaking out. Although Indee didn’t have any parents - not in the pack, anyway - that was all the more reason for everyone to worry about him. He had no family: no parents, no siblings, not even grandparents, uncles, or aunts to look after him. Fenrir had always thought it was a shame that Indeevar’s parents had been forced to leave, but there were certain rules that simply weren’t to be broken. They had seemed nice enough to Fenrir, though he hadn’t been particularly close with either of them. He definitely thought they were more of the quiet, law-abiding types, though. Even he never went far enough to make Hoarfrost consider banishing him. He may not have been as dedicated to the pack as other wolves were, but he loved his pack all the same. Maybe he just showed it a little differently.

Fenrir had settled down from his laughter, and placed his large paw on Indee’s head, pushing gently as he pretended to squash Indeevar into the ground. “How about it, tyke? We’ll go gather herbs and smell trees and catch some rabbits. Maybe we’ll catch a lone wolf and bring him back for indoctrination. We could spot a bear - it’s still season for them, they’ll be hoarding food. I heard their favorite food is little pups.” Fenrir’s own mother had told him that when he was young. She had been trying to get him to stay close to camp, but unfortunately, it had caused him immense excitement instead. He had been a high-energy and wild pup, a lot like Indeevar was now. He liked to think he had calmed down over the years, and his mother, black in the sky, wouldn’t have been quite as vexed trying to look after him. No matter what the other wolves thought of him, they had to acknowledge that he was an efficient and knowledgeable apothecary, and he never ignored his duties where sick and injured wolves were involved. One howl and he’d be back, which was one of the reasons he hadn’t earned Hoarfrost’s full wrath. He didn’t have any real power in the pack, not more than any other subordinate, but he had the power of being the only wolf who had a full knowledge of herbs and remedies and how to apply them. If the litters hadn’t been pitifully small this year, he might have started training another apothecary already. He had played around with the idea of training Indee several times, and although Indeevar wasn’t set to be an apothecary, he still knew more about herbs than any pup who wasn’t being trained as apothecary ever had. Sometimes just watching did the trick of teaching, but Fenrir liked to mention what he was using and why so that Indeevar could soak it all in.

Jehoiakim: Loner. Mentions: Azrael (ind.)

After ripping off one last piece, J returned to his den, satisfied with what he carried back. After burying the last piece, he lied down at his den and looked out, satisfied with his current situation. But, as the winds began to blow, it carried with it yet another scent of a wolf, followed up by the unmistakable smell of blood. At first, J was going to ignore it and leave the wolf alone, but, the smell was strong, meaning it was nearby, and J began wondering just who was there. If it was just another loner, then great. If it was someone from a pack, then that would be a problem for him. Getting up, J followed the scent all the way to Azrael, who was still going to town on the doe, with his fur coat covered in blood. Instead of outright asking him if he was part of a pack, J hid behind some bushes downwind of him so he wouldn't be able to smell him. Probably wouldn't matter since he was covered in the doe's blood but he needed to be safe than sorry. J watched him patiently, waiting to see if anyone else showed up by his side. If they did, then it would tell J that he was part of a pack, but if not, then he was another loner and J didn't have much to worry about.

Keena | Thisam | Mentions: Neziton, Conrad, Deyanira(indirect)

The female offered a quiet chuckle under her breath when her presence had caused Conrad to whip around almost aggressively. She hadn't meant to actually scare him, but she'd be lying if she claimed that she found a little amusement in startling the wolf. If there wasn't a nearby threat, the thisam wolf may have even joked with him further about it, but right now wasn't the time for it. And Keena knew that, she wasn't stupid. Keena had only survived because of her wit and her sheer determination to stay alive, especially now, due to recent events. After surviving and running for so long, she would be foolish to rest now.

Her amused expression settled into a look of seriousness as she now looked at the wolf in question. "He's definitely too close for comfort..." She agreed quietly. But the wolf who the pair was watching didn't seem... normal. The wolf was mumbling and talking to himself, it seemed. She also noticed he had the strangest looking ears. But that was unimportant. They had to deal with this stranger quickly. Where was Deyanira at?

When Conrad mentioned he was planning on leading the wolf away, Keena nodded, still crouching behind their cover as she examined the stranger. The female watched Conrad depart and find a new position from which he would probably gain the stranger's attention from. Keena's mind was whirring, those little gears in her mind were rolling as she thought up a plan. From what it seemed like, the wolf was not a threat. But a little back up never killed anyone. Thus, she slunk around, now hiding behind a new form of cover that was several paces away from Conrad.

As the male made noise and feigned a nervous look, she watched with anticipation as she tried to read their new visitor. She flicked her ears as she heard the wolf murmur to himself to not make eye contact. This wolf is insane. And insane wolves were not safe. Keena kept her cover as the unknown wolf seemed to hesitate before taking a couple steps closer to Conrad, seeming to murmur more things to himself before wagging his tail and barking. Keena felt her fur rise and prickle. Usually wolves were predictable to some degree. Either friend or foe. But this one was a wild card.

Feeling anxious, she took a couple paces closer to where Conrad had began leading him, making sure she was trailing at a distance that let her remain undetected.

"Who's there?" The lone male called out, and at this point J was satisfied with how long he was by himself, as it wouldn't make sense for him to eat so much of the carcass and not have at least one other pack mate to come over and eat as well. J revealed himself from his hiding spot and slwoly walked over to him, stopping a respectable distance away from the loner to make sure that he meant no harm, not raising his fur or showing any aggression. "Apologies, but I smelled blood nearby and I couldn't help but think that one of the packs had hunted close to me, so I just needed to make sure that you weren't a part of either pack... you're not part of a pack, are you?" J asked him, his tone slightly airy but also curious about this one. "It's not every day I run into two loners on the same day, so if I spooked you, I apologize."

Azrael finished talking and J couldn't help but dull his gaze at him. Wow this wolf is just fun... at least he doesn't like the packs just like I do. After biting his lip to hold back a few choice woords, J let out an exahle before talking to Azrael. "Well, it's good that the only wolves around here are loners like myself; the last thing we need is the packs to begin roaming into the mountains and meadow by the lake to begin hunting and trying to take us loners into their ranks to make us fight their stupid battles." He let out a groan of disgust as he paused. "If you do find any of them, send them my regards." He let out a scowl this time, intended for one of the two packs, before looking at Azrael. "You haven't actually run into any of them lately, have you?" He asked, looking at Azrael, casually looking around the area to make sure no one jumps them.

Eagla and Bláth | Males | Okami | Sub/Van. and Omni | Mentions: Each other, open

Eagla's mind was too distracted by the thought of his brother, his very idiotic brother. His eyes dart around camp, deciding on leaving to find his brother and to make sure he wasn't doing anything foolish. Slowly, he starts to rise from his seated posture and takes a single step forward. He stops, spotting a familiar coat of gold entering the camp. Seeing the flowers in Bláth's made a frown appear on Eagla's face, and it grows even harder as Bláth approaches. "Darling, brother! Is, my majesty, here?" Bláth wags his tail, giving a tilt of his head. Eagla snorts, not liking the idea of Bláth approaching the Overlady's den while looking like that. "No, she isn't, and you must address her as Overlady. Not, whatever that title was." Eagla scolded, the frown left his face. Bláth gives him a wolfish grin, "I can tell that you're getting flustered. Look at you," Bláth's eyes gleam with amusement, not caring that he's going to tick Eagla off. Eagla's fur rise, annoyance in his eyes, and his frown returns. He was calm and rather patient, but something about Bláth sets him off. "Don't test my patience, Bláth. Remember your ranking, your status." The tone of the black male's voice gets dangerously low, and the gold-coated male tilts his head.

"I'm not testing anything, brother. I'm here for a talk," his smile grew wide, "you're the one testing mines." A dark gleam in his eyes, his tail wagging behind him. The tension between the two was increasing, and it was starting to become unbearable for both males. Holding each other's gaze for a couple of more seconds before Bláth looks away, amusement in the trickster male's eyes. "I'll stop angering you, dearest brother." Eagla was hiding the shock towards what Bláth said beforehand, giving Bláth a calculating look. Bláth stood up and left, making sure to whack Eagla's face with his tail before he left.

The dark male felt relieved now that Bláth was gone, seeming a lot calmer now he wasn't near his brother. He sighs, shaking his head, and lays down beside the Overlady's den as he patiently waits for her. Meanwhile, Bláth makes his way to the den outside the camp and rubs his face around the den to mark his scent. He steps inside, taking the flowers out of his fur, and puts them in a corner. He lays down, burying his nose into the flowers, "Flowers are more tolerant than wolves. I can't resist the urge to kill someone for long." Trying his best to calm down, his fur riled up.