Soft pawsteps echoed quietly through the trees, shattering the delicate silence of the forest. A towering, muscular brute, revealed as their owner, trod through the leaves. Kaemon's nose paused in the air, quivering with curiosity as he took in the scent of a rabbit nearby. His earthen-shaded ears swerved around, catching sounds of his quarry. The beast's head lowered instantly, his body tense as he crept toward his victim. As the hare appeared, only feet from Kaemon's jaws, he slithered closer. He tensed, muscles tightening as he prepared to spring. The wind was still; all was silent. Everything froze for a moment as the hunter and the hunted's eyes met - and in a flash, both were streaking through the trees. Kaemon's strong paws thudded like boulders on the ground as he dashed in pursuit of the creature, rose-hued tongue lolling from his mouth. He picked up speed, and in seconds the hare was thrashing around between his teeth. He hesitated before ending its life, deciding instead to do this the fun way. For a moment the brute thought he smelled the faint beginnings of a border, and heard the footsteps of another, but disregarded the idea. If any wolf was here, they would have confronted him already, unless they wanted to see what he was up to.

A sudden pang of hunger caused this string of thoughts to quickly dissipate. With contempt, the brute tossed the rabbit's thrashing body into the air, catching it again at a different angle. The two back legs were now in his grip. With a malevolent chuckle, he snapped the hare's legs and dropped it to the ground. Its screams rang in his ears as it attempted to drag itself away. With ease, Kaemon reached out very slowly, pinning it down by the neck. He pressed slightly, cutting off the airway for several seconds and then opening it again for a short time; not enough for the creature to get a full breath of air. He continued this sick game for a series of long moments, this teasing of oxygen; this slow suffocation, until he grew bored and brought his paw down mercilessly upon its head. The hare's carcass was mangled and bloody, still sending warm sensations to the brute's core as he devoured what was left of it in three quick bites.

From this, it was obvious that for one so young, the male had quite a bit of darkness lurking in his heart; perhaps also evil or insanity. Either way...

Licking his lips, Kaemon moved to continue on his journey to find a home. Despite his addiction to killing, he missed the company of other wolves dearly and wished to devote himself to a family, preferably one that shared his evil ways. Maybe that was too much to ask for. Regardless of the circumstances, he ached to interact with others, as such was the nature of his species. The brute jumped for a moment as he was jerked out of his thoughts by a strong scent. So the timely smell of a border had not been false, after all?

Then what of the footsteps?

He immediately lowered himself into a defensive position, prepared to counter any attacks. Even if the wolf was friendly, it would be wise to be cautious.

"Lowering yourself like that only makes things worse for you and what you seek." Her voice was stern as she came up behind the male after watching him for several minutes. Aurora was never the quiet one to stalk her victims, but then again, this onlooker wasn't a victim but a weary traveller in search of what they all come here for. Freedom. Respect. A home. "However, I respect your cautious stance to my loud approach. I am Warrior Aurora, the scent you have come upon is that of Alpha Azul and the ranking and unranking members of the Helidos pack. How may I assist you?" Aurora stood back from the male, he was much larger than her in a weight to length ratio and she wouldn't chance an attack from her being stupid and making a move to quickly. It was bad enough that she entered upon a wolf from behind them, this would have caused an attack had she not spoke while she was moving. All she was hoping to do was catch him off guard, to try and receive the upper hand.

Aurora was never the one to stare, so she dropped her gaze quickly but held her stance as a faithful warrior to her leader. Many wolves had joined the pack under her watch and words, but this was a first that Aurora wanted to stay speechless. There was something about the male before her, that made her heart race and fear crawl through her bones. Although the sudden upset in her body, Aurora stayed strong, she was never going to become the wolf she wished and pleased if males continued to bother her or instill fear in her. Aurora was more a male than a female, she just wished not to be attacked or molested by them. This was her only problem and meeting males on the border, alone. It was a death sentence. "Please, tell me about yourself. Was the hare pleasurable to you, you barely had time to savor it for you ate it too fast. Then again, it's not my body so I can't complain." A slight chuckle helped relieve the tension in her body, she would stay on edge until proven otherwise by the male on the other end of the spectrum. "Please, stand up. I won't have you on the ground before me." Aurora's voice was sharp as she spoke for the last time before waiting for the males response.

Kaemon swept around, preparing to leap should a hostile wolf appear, taken somewhat off guard by the sudden sound of her voice and its ringing out from behind him. However, once his brain had registered the she-wolf's words, he took notice of them, but remained still, only relaxing his tail to show consideration. He wasn't about to let down his guard or to present himself as weak by not holding his own. Tall, dust-brown ears rose attentively as the words "what you seek" fell from her lips. His eyes remained a cold, emotionless amber, revealing nothing of himself. In this way, he presented himself as neutral but strong, not hostile but not unwilling to fight, and as interested in what she had mentioned. It was perfect for the situation, even considering that the fae was much smaller than he. He almost disregarded the fact that she was a femme, as Kaemon believed firmly that femmes were equal to brutes, making up for their lack of brawn in an abundance of intelligence. In his pack, different beliefs had been professed. Kaemon, however, chose to treat all wolves as equal... equal threats.

He looked her up and down, this "Warrior Aurora." She seemed friendly enough. The casual thought of killing her rose to Kaemon's mind, but it vanished as she mentioned a pack. His spirits rose, and with it his posture, relaxing to stand normally at his full height. He met her eyes but averted his gaze occasionally, to show respect. For several moments, he said nothing. As more dialogue flowed from the female, his tail stiffened outward. "It had not touched your border. That hare was mine to take, and mine to do with as I wished," Kaemon replied in his ominous, deep baritone. He paused, and continued, "I am Kaemon. I mean no harm. I am a wanderer, and, as you seem to know, I seek a place to call home." A clever tactic. He had wordlessly refused to give any real information about himself, other than his name. He studied the female, searching her eyes for emotions as he awaited a reply.

Aurora sat down fiercly, her whole body shook with such force that it took her by surprise. The chill she received from the breeze coming in was eery, almost haunting as she somberly sat there before the male who dubbed himself as Kaemon. Thinking long and hard about her response, she knew that this male was not of a normal sorts. Certainly much more passive aggressive than the wolf prior who she had taken a mentorship of. However, the male before provide use with his brute stature and strong mental capabilities. Yet, she needed to know more first. The tension in the air was more than she could stand, but still she responded like nothing phased her. Only her mind provided doubt about the male.

"Kaemon, you say? Well certainly, I am not worried about the meal you have just digested. Everyone has to eat and I respect your want to properly take care of yourself. Many wolves come here seeking a place to reside until the end, what makes you different from those whom are already inside? What do you have that will make me realize that we need you and your talents would be of great use?" Aurora spoke from her mind, straight to the point, but not harshly or that of an ill-natured tone. Curiosity more of so was the undertone of it all.

The fur around her pelt bristled as the breeze picked up and far in the distance a low rumble crossed the horizon. Aurora looked up and far across the sky the clouds were beginning to blacken. *Spring showers, how nice.* Her own voice resonated in her mind with straight sarcasm. This meant a dirty pelt, well, maybe now it was time to get down and dirty. Starting with Kaemon. Aurora couldn't let everyone wolf she met into the borders, but those who proved themselves that they were the soldiers of the canine world, they and only them would be accepted under the rule of Azul. Did Kaemon have the strength and wits of ten wolves or just one? Aurora's mind raced of all kinds of questions she had for the brute. Silence overcame her as she looked back up his pelt.