but if all we are is just machines

The beta trekked soundlessly through the woods. Every time he came here, it seemed more engrossed with trees than the time before, but he didn’t mind weaving a path through the small spaces few and far between. It proved challenging for his mind, and exerted his body; he was surrounded by monstrosities for wolves (in terms of size, the specification necessary) and needed to keep himself in good health in order to match them evenly. He had kept a steady pace up for the majority of the morning, and even though the muscles in his legs begged for a break, he ignored them. His body was tired, but his mind certainly wasn’t—his lips hadn’t even parted into a pant.

There was no sound to be heard for what felt like miles, but he heard something nonetheless. Pausing mid-stride, a paw draped in the air, he turned his head a fraction to the left to scan the line of brush. He didn’t feel endangered, necessarily, but Erenyx never failed to embrace an aura of forebode. With an eerily blank expression laced into his tired, apathetic eyes, he inclined his head, as if he was willing the sound that had never been to manifest in front of him. He had an idea of who was in the area, for the male’s scent had tinged that of the forest, and he was expecting his company any second now. He would’ve called out to him, and thus made it easier to be found, but he had always been known for his preference of silence. Baritos  seemed... playful, like a killer unaware of its power, and if this was to be a game then the beta would bite—but only briefly, for his duties allotted no time for play in his opinion.

but if all we are is just machines

He should’ve felt something more than the hollow thud of his heart. Baritos, a true terror for all intents and purposes, was chuckling from somewhere behind the beta like a madman beyond repair, but the sound of the elder’s eruptive laughter didn’t even send a shrill of unease down his spine. He was calm, uncannily so, and acknowledged his counterpart upon arrival with a casual and unenthusiastic flick of his ear. The noticeably larger wolf circled him, as if in the deepest recesses of his wayward mind Irrationality could be mistaken for prey, and even though his eyes found the elder’s briefly when he crossed the beta’s front, he didn’t bother moving his head to continue tracking his movements. It wasn’t trust, necessarily, that enabled him to know the back of his neck wouldn’t become a target; it wasn’t much of anything, frankly, because the beta didn’t have the slightest clue what was going on inside of Baritos’ mind. If the other wolf had pictured him dead at his paws for even a second, it would perhaps surprise him to know it had crossed Irrationality’s mind, too—the unsettling, bloody image didn’t make him queasy like it should’ve. It was one thing among many that he should’ve felt, but didn’t, it would seem.

“No,” Irrationality replied after a moment of contemplative silence, “I wasn’t kept waiting. You arrived when I expected you would.” As always, he was to the point. Unlike his alpha’s sibling, he didn’t play games (if not only because he didn’t know how) and chose to speak matter-of-factly at all times. Even though he had answered the other wolf, he still didn’t move to be properly facing him. He wouldn’t go out of his way to hold the elder’s attention. If he wanted to keep circling him, and impressing his larger, more intimidating stature upon him, then so be it. If it was meant to crawl under his skin, or make him feel exposed to an unpreventable danger, it did nothing of the sort. “However, I wasn’t certain if you’d show up.” The beta wasn’t much of a conversationalist to begin with. Baritos had a way with words—one he would’ve envied if his circumstances were less steadfast—that didn’t leave a lot of room for him to keep up. He certainly could’ve tried, but he had no motivation to do so. There were other wolves in Erenyx that would better appeal to his witty, indirect nature. Frankly, any other wolf in Erenyx would do better than him. It would be a waste of time to try and provoke Irrationality. “Yet you did, and for what reason I’m not certain. Can I help you with something, Baritos?” Something useful. “Did you seek me out for plainly a conversation?” He doubted it, but no trace of the emotion highlighted his words.