Fel had spent her day, as well as her week, scouting the farthest reaches of their territories. She wanted to know every bush and bolder from border to border. Strategically speaking, this was part of her duty. If it came to battle, knowing one’s terrain could be the difference between life and death. It would take many more rounds to know the places around here for certain, but that was not much of an issue. Despite always preparing for one, it did not seem to her that an attack on their pack was imminent. Perhaps Fenris and Teren would keep each other busy long enough for Agavos to develop into a formidable force of fighters… A force Fel intended to train and lead under Desmond.

As the sun began to slowly drift back into the horizon, Fel set her sights on the top of the mountain. She had saved that bit for last. Once looking over to it, however, she noticed a disturbance upon its icy sides. A dark wolf, most likely one of their own since the pack was filled with dark wolves, was scrambling up the side. Fel had already intended to investigate that region, but the newfound presence triggered her suspicions further. Friend or foe, she would find the canine.

Galloping silently across the snow, she reached the base of the incline just as the other scrambled over the edge. A small smirk arose in her mind, though never quite finishing its course down to her lips. The Elite was a mountain wolf, bred and brought up. Little moments like these reminded her of home. Not of the menace of a father she had of course, nor the brainwashing, besting her mentors, nor even the ambushed raiding party. No, this reminded her of the harshness of Mother Nature that she was genetically selected to withstand. Angling her paws in a manner that would create traction with her claws, she climbed up with relative swiftness, one testing paw after another. It was wiser to test a foothold rather than blindly scurry upwards, since this way she didn’t slide down or fall. Every leap that had to be taken was quickly calculated, and the landing secured by wide, clawed paws. It didn’t take long before she was at the summit.

Fel’s sharp, emotionless gaze swung around to see none other than their caretaker, Noble, resting beneath a tree. It was both relieving and disappointing that there was no danger in the confrontation. With a sigh, she shook her pelt rapidly, though the thin layer of snow upon her back she dislodged was soon replaced again. Looking again to Noble, she called out in the deep tone that was naturally hers, “You’ve come very far just to enjoy some scenery…” With that, her eyes drifted over towards the vista. One might’ve considered it beautiful, but she held no such opinions. Instead, she focused on studying the curves of the white lands emphasized by the dying sunlight.

[hope you don't mind if I join in?]

The events that followed joining Agavos were... normal. There wasn't much going on, though that could be expected with the small numbers. The pack would hunt for food, but that was mainly left to the hunters. And that seemed to be about the end of it. Being the sole warrior of the pack, Desoto found himself walking along the borders of his new pack territory daily, keeping an eye out for anything. He wasn't afraid of being ambushed, the thought hadn't crossed his mind more than twice. It was simple, he'd fight them off. The pack did have to healers, and they'd patch him up quickly. Besides, the main reason he was out near the borders or out of the territory was mainly to try and avoid the females of the pack. It was winter after all, and their scents of heat were driving him mad to a point that he hated it.

However, he had scented a few wolves that seemed interested. None smelled of the other packs though, which was both disappointing and satisfying. He believed that some of them would move in soon, growing the pack into what it would become and not what it currently was. Perhaps he might meet one and would have to call for Alpha Desmond or the Elite's presence to the border. Course after that he would either leave or stand off to the side quietly as he watched. Not that it bothered him much, he wasn't much of a speaker anyways.

Coming down he found himself now in a valley, a place he had not seen before. It was covered in snow due to the winter, but in the other seasons, he knew it would look far more extravagant. Making his way down and deeper into the area he glanced around himself. His ears perked and his eyes skeptical. The steps he took were as silent as possible as he carried himself through the unknown piece of land. Then familiar scents travelled into his nostrils, which blew out puffs of heated air against the colder breeze. Following the scents he came across two familiar faces; the Elite, and a Caretaker that was originally from Helidos. Desoto had a feeling that his name began with an 'N' but he wasn't quite sure. Fel, on the other hand, had come from Erenyx and had been someone that's name was known throughout the pack.

Approaching the two, the silent soldier greeted them with a nod, and stood nearby. Far enough that he wasn't directly in their personal space, but close enough that he was still there in their presence. "Mighty cold  out here, huh? No trees or anything to help shield the wind much." He looked to the side then, casting his gaze towards the sky that was set in an orange glow. He sighed, the temperature would be dropping soon. But the wolf was not quite ready to head back home to the drowning scents of heat and listen to the bustle of the group. Instead he sat silently waiting for someone else to speak as he stood there in the snow. The breeze moving his fur to the side with it.

Fel listened to his reply, feeling her tail rise into its position into an altitude a little higher than the caretaker’s, though she did not seek to assert her rank at this moment. It was little more than a mere formality, one she was programmed to uphold. Her gaze remained scanning the darkening view, searching for any interesting or useful formations of land. One ear remained pricked towards the companion while the other flickered to and fro, grasping to catch any sign of a disturbance. The Elite did not pause in her search amidst the disappearing rays of the sun when she replied. “Scouting and memorizing terrain, searching for dangerous sites or perfect spots for a potential defensive ambush, and seeing if any of our omegas do something stupid…” She shrugged at the last item on the list, adding, “I don’t expect them to be here, but that is always an option.”  Several moments went by, and she had just about concluded her visual search from this vantage point when he spoke up again. In the same, emotionless tone, the words rumbled out, “Morning. Most of the prey, I would assume, will be trying to get somewhere warm tonight; as should you.”

Fel’s raven ear flickered as she heard another making his way up the slope. Pulling her nearly colorless gaze away from the vista, she identified the male as Desoto, one of the other wolves who left Erenyx. His speech was at first unimpressive, then simply idiotic. In a flat tone, she replied, “Being a wolf born and bred to live in the mountains, I do not find the dropping temperatures to be an issue. But it is winter, after all… And no there are certainly no trees.”  She turned her snout towards the tree upon whose roots Noble had just recently rested. “Except, of course, that one.”  The Elite gestured with her nose to all of the other barren trees along the higher regions of the valley’s slopes, “And all of those.”  Finishing with an unimpressed glare to the brute, she shrugged, “If you are cold, however, you can always shiver at a lower frequency behind that tree right there.”  The brutish fae’s words were not aggressive, but did not hold a kind ring to them. Then again, her voice had lost its ability to ring with joy back when her first training session ended. One could even wonder if she ever had such a capability at all.

The Elite was the first to speak after his announcing comment. By her monotonous and sarcastic tone, he could tell that she wasn't particularly fond of him. She probably found him lesser than a being of herself, as most higher ranks did. They probably had a right.  But a title isn't what gives you the right, for it was your qualities that entitled you. He hadn't seen much of Fel that was different than most Erenyx Wolves, but she probably hadn't seen much of him either. No one had. So he let it slide, even though he was far from pleased with her actions. He took note to see that the other present male was looking at them interact silently, before turning his head to the sky. He seemed to have a thoughtful gaze as he looked at the Amber eyed brute, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly he was trying to think of. However, it seemed as if he agreed with Fel and let her continue with her speech.

As she finished up her little moment, the wolf let out a low chuckle before muttering just loud enough to hear, [color:a3fc=990000]"Left Erenyx, but still can't let a joke pass. But I've never been very good at them anyway."Course he was just making an excuse for his lack of perception, but he would rather not have her bring this up to deem him stupid if an argument arose. After all he had traveled here with his head down, lost in his mind. And that did not leave much room to take in his surroundings. As the voice of the other male reached his ears, the midnight black male turned his head over towards him. Turns out he was not the only one who had forgotten a member's name, and it made him feel a bit better that it was returned. He let a small smile grace his lips before answering, " Desoto." Then gesturing his head over to the fae near them without directly looking at her until he spoke again. "And I bet Miss Elite Sassy here forgot that too." His eyes held a bit of amusement and mischief to them. For some reason it seemed that he liked to make this side of her come out. It was...different than how everyone else had acted lately. Returning his eyes back to the blue-orbed male he asked, "Don't feel bad about it though, I sorta forgot yours too. Though if I remember correctly, you are a caretaker right?"

[The sass is the best part about this thread ;D]

Fel raised a brow, merely for the effect. With the same flatness in her voice, she retorted, “Ah, but Erenyx is not my pack. If you’ll notice, I left my home pack, but I will still kill without regret if the moment arises. I left Helidos, but I still know kindness; when to repress it and when to use it… I left Erenyx, but I neither gained nor lost anything. It was similar to my natal pack, but weaker and less organized and efficient. You can cover your idiocy with humour, Desoto, but don’t expect me to chuckle.” She didn’t believe him. His original tone had been too serious. With a bored yawn, she allowed them to continue their reintroductions. Upon being mentioned, she would huff, “On the contrary.” As the Elite, she took care of knowing each and every wolf in the pack. There were only a limited few that had evaded her knowledge, but she had seen their faces. Of the two higher ranks, Fel did the most acceptances at borders. Desmond did a few here and there, but she understood his reasons. It was difficult for a rouge to adjust to pack leadership. Perhaps it was indeed best that she was there to aid him in whatever way possible. She, after all, was dedicated to her job like few others were… Past the point of friends, family, and even nature. It was unknown whether it was age or her general disposition, but Fel had not felt the heat of winter in years. No, instead, when she looked at the two males, she wondered if she would have been attractive as one. It was a peculiar thought, but she was large, tall, and very muscular with a clean face and a broad snout. Perhaps she would have been quite handsome. Then again, looks mattered not to her as they held no real benefit in her line of work. It was just a fancy of a thought, one that left as lightly as it came upon the howling flow of the winter winds.“Would you like to join us on a hunt tomorrow morning, Desoto? A joyous greeting of the sun with your sassy superior and the silent caretaker?” The elite’s voice along rang with sarcasm.

As the conversation went on, the brute became both amused and irritated. It was such an odd mix and that to the point wether he was not sure wether to laugh or growl during the majority of the time speaking. This seemed to be out of place for the Elite who he had known to expected to be cold hearted, but her words shocked him. Helidos? She was a member of Helidos? His eyes widened a fraction and his brow raised up for a moment in question before resuming its normal position. As she finished her little speech he let a shrug raise and lower his his shoulders before speaking, "The mind can be rather distracting Elite Fel, I'm sure both you and Noble know that. Where all points of the things are barely there, and you crash into nothing primarily upon instinct rather than your own eyesight? My comment may have been idiotic, yes, but it was from my lack of perception that made it, not stupidity."

He closed his eyes for a moment as he finished before his ear flicked towards the other he-wolf. Need a nickname? Well, given that he had given the fae onne it would seem that he would recieve one as well. He opened his eyes and gazed at Noble, what will it be caretaker? He took a fw moemnts to think before he got one ou which was 'Mister Cold Ass'. Desoto wasn't sure wether it was from his comment or his personality, but he let out a deep chuckle anyways at it. "If that is named after my personality then yes, it fits quite right. I have not cared much for anyone in a long time, and have ever been the most socially adept to flattery." He flicked his tail, a smirk still on his face as he stopped his amusement from expressing itself vocally. He then shook his head slightly relieving itself from the building up tension before he flicked his gaze back unto Fel as her royal sassiness began to speak again. She was being sarcastic, it was well damn clear that she was, but he decided to play off of it anyways. He narrowed his eyes half playfully, half mischieviously, as a small wolfish grin pulled his lips back. Wether she wanted him to make another idiotic comment or was trying to lead him into another one he wasn't sure. But he was not going to risk that again. So instead he said in mock cheerfulness back, "As a matter of fact, Dear Fel, I would. I would love to see your beautiful Sassiness first thing in the morning. And I will enjoy seeing you then too Caretaker Noble, if she retrieves me for this hunt that is. Until tomorrow!" He turned then, waving his tail as a farewell before heading back down into the slopes of the trees, this time taking in his surroundings. Didn't want another one of those moments, now did he? Wether Fel was truly sarcastic about the hunt and it was just something she said, he didn't know. But he supposed he would find out on the morrow. It didn't matter either way, and at least he would have something to slightly look forward to. Even if it never happened.

-Exit Desoto-