A frigid, bitter smell permeated the air. It was like ash, dried and sour masked by a putrid stench of staleness. Elias stood over the source of the smell which was nothing but a carcass with thin flesh and meat hanging off the bones in strips. Snow scattered over the bones and flesh in untidy clumps. The hunter had come across it on a stroll upwards after he had finished excavating some burrows further down near the bottom of the steep slope he was on. And he had stayed, his keen eyes catching the sight of something lodged deep in the stomach near the guts. It was a round, dirty grey stone the size of his paw. Elias had seen that once before, in his old pack in the stomach of one of the pups. Many, many days had passed since Teren had taken over. On the surface nothing had changed. Everyone was going about their duties as usual but there was no doubt that everyone was choosing wisely or accordingly to their own personal interests and agendas in regards to their allegiance towards him. And in matters of the heart. Elias had no knowledge of their previous Alpha’s’ misdeeds and acts nor was he attached to anyone here to care enough to mourn or secretly relish in Steele’s death or even Teren’s if ever a time came for that. He was himself, nothing but a cold-blooded assassin in the end. Albeit, an assassin with a slightly psychopathic bent towards the morbid and grotesque but an assassin nevertheless. And assassins only held to one creed. To be efficient and effective in murder. Lingering and examining the corpse for an extended period of time wasn’t usually expected. But he recognized the stone. He carefully placed his paw inside, a squelching noise rupturing the air as he went through stomach tissue to scoop out the stone. Setting it down in the snow, he cast his gaze over the rest of the carcass with his usual detached expression to see if there were any more oddities he had missed. Nothing.

In the afternoon evening, with the waning sun starting to disappear behind the clouds there was barely anything here. Predator or prey. Just him, the lone hunter clothed in white with shades of light grey and silvers of faded black. Elias was adept at hiding himself usually. The winter made it easier. There was an abundant amount of snow in this area which was even better for him. His winter coat was thicker, lusher. The other colours were lighter due to the winter. All in all, he blended in well with his surroundings. Elias bent his head lower to the carcass again, sniffing it. It smelt as a dead corpse should in winter. Stale and pungent. Nothing coming from the blood, stomach or intestines that indicated the stone was from anything other than internal problems of the natural kind. Which left Elias to conclude that the stone was a kidney stone, formed from a lack of water and dehydration. And the meat could still be taken from the bones, scrapped and salvaged for any hungry or wandering wolves that happened to come by. Elias raised his head, peering at the steep downwards slope in front of him without emotion. It was a straight drop-off from there. He would probably need to wait the night out because the snow was becoming wilder.

Magnus had so much to think about these days. And he hated it. He never used to be one to think too much. He thought about battle strategy and survival. Maybe on the odd occasion he would think about which females heart he would play with next. But that was all. It was shallow, basic thinking to him. None of this deep and meaningful nonsense. But now, with Terens ascension into power, he had to think about his future. Steele was no longer around to force himself on Chiara, a true godsend in his mind. Which meant he had every right to ask the new Alpha for permission to be mated. It meant, if all went well, in the coming spring he would be a father. Him! A father! As if anyone ever thought it possible. Barely a year ago his friends would have never had him pegged as the first to be mated. The first to sire illegitimate pups for sure, but never to choose a mate. How things had changed. How he had changed. He had to consider not only the safety of himself now, but that of his beloved and their children when they were born. He had to think about his position as Lead Hunter as he now actually had Hunters to lead. Though he hadn't met them yet.

There would be time enough to meet some new greenhorns. For now he was more concerned with the people he cared about. So many jumbled thoughts racing through his overheated mind made it difficult to concentrate on anything. He figured the frigid air of frozen fang pass would help set them in order before his frustration turned violent. Climbing as high as possible, the strain in his muscles was terrifyingly satisfying. With each step he hauled himself further and further up the black mountain capped in snow. It was satisfying to be so tired, but he knew there was still energy to spare. The male finally reached a nice ledge, an overhang that gave him an excellent view of the valley below. Or it would have if it weren't for the low-lying fog that had persisted the entire day. So instead he viewed what he imagined birds to see when they flew above the clouds. He took another careful step forward and glanced over the edge. Down below he spotted a white male standing over an old carcass. He smirked and wondered if the male was one of these hunters he had yet to meet. Deciding the time was more than appropriate, Magnus set off clawing and sliding his way down the snowy mountain, following the thin trails until they reached the lower ledge.

Taking a moment to shake the snow from his copper fur, the male rose his tail dominantly. Jaws parted with silent steps as the male drew closer. Smirking devilishly, a plan formed in his mind. Magnus was not typically a playful wolf, but here the opportunity was too perfect. He took great care with each placement of his paw, careful not to dislodge any large objects and to step in the already compacted patches of snow set by the white ones paw prints. The wind blew straight towards him, helping in his favour, but when it changed suddenly, he had to act quickly. He launched for the male, hoping only to tackle and pin the other for a moment. As he landed, his deep voice boomed off the mountainside. "State your name and rank, wolf."

As he was searching, the wind predictably shifted again in the opposite direction away from Elias’ keen nose. But not from his keen eyes. The thin fog obscured a lot but Elias was quick enough to see moving strips of brown and copper fur coming closer and closer towards him. He watched, unfazed, as the other leaped at him. In reality, his mind was still on the kidney stone and his gaze travelled to the object in question before he was tackled by the other. Down the pair went in an explosion of snow. He placed a forepaw on the other’s chest, twisting on his side a little to use his upper weight to throw the male off as soon as his back hit the ground. His hind legs lifted to his underside to kick him off. All on instinct, as if he was nothing but a machine reacting to a threat. And he paused, as he recognized who it was that had attacked him. It was the copper wolf who had boldly spoken when Steele was dying with Teren. He had openly shown his allegiance towards the male. The first one to do so. Elias hadn’t caught his name, only that he was the Lead Hunter.  As the other male’s voice bombarded the air, demanding he stated his name and rank Elias stared up at him with an expression that was best described as blank and emotionless. Was this a game? The Lead Hunter must have been playing. Perhaps he wanted to test him. Funnily enough, Elias couldn’t tell. He didn’t play games. At least, not these kind of games. But he responded anyway.  

“Hunter,” Elias said, his voice like the winter and burnt cinders and ash ground together. Somehow, it all came together to end up being deep and smooth at the same time without a hint of roughness that the others in the pack seemed to possess.“Hunter Elias.” He gazed up at him. As usual, his amber eyes were dull. Abnormal and lifeless. They could have been haunted even. Elias took in the copper male’s appearance. A pelt of browns with hints of black, draped over a lithe body. The body of a hunter he supposed. Elias’ own was built for speed, more than power and covered great distances. It was well-muscled, firm and dense but not overly large and his height was incredibly tall. He pushed him off, rolling right side up and stood up. Somehow, he still appeared as unfazed as before. There were flakes of snow in his fur, sprayed across his back and the top of his head and back of his neck. Some tinted his black shaded fur on the sides of his face, clustered on his muzzle and nestled in on the back of his black-splattered tail. Suave and unruffled. He looked back at the other male, intoning in a matter-of-fact voice,“And you are the Lead Hunter of this pack correct?”He nodded towards him, head lowering slightly in customary respect.

As soon as the other male was knocked over and pinned, he stepped aside, allowing the startled, thrashing wolf to get up. His eyebrow raised slightly. So he was a hunter. It seemed Magnus' would meet those he was intended to lead sooner rather than later. Elias, he called himself. A nice enough name, if not up to the glory of Magnus. Magnus surveyed the males form just as he in turn was surveyed. It was lean and lightly muscled, built for speed and agility just as Magnus was. Stretched over these muscles was a pelt of white, peppered with a few lighter grey areas upon closer inspection. He was tall, perhaps the slightest bit taller than Magnus. His eyes were the typical amber of a wolf, but there was no fire, no life in them. The eyes were hollow, almost dead. His features were considerably symmetrical and pleasing, meaning he would have no trouble finding a female if that was his goal. Magnus smirked to himself. He had certainly never thought himself to be the mated type. Even if Elias denied vehemently, there was always the chance that a female would come along who would change his mind.

The Lead Hunter finally addressed the question posed to him, nodding. "Indeed. Magnus is my name." He observed the male dip his head in respect and gave a slight nod of approval. There was always need to respect ones superiors, no matter of age or gender. "Did you catch this goat yourself?" He asked, nodding to the stinking carcass. "Or did you find it here?" The copper male lowered his rump to the snow, having no definite ideas or intentions for the near future. Although, he mused, It might be interesting to see him hunt.

Elias bent down to tear off flesh from the fleshiest part of the carcass with the most meat left, swallowing the salvaged scraps swiftly. The hunter’s stomach had groaned and of course, if the Lead Hunter desired to eat it then he would be free to do so. He held higher rank and the hunter wouldn’t have been surprised, or felt anything if he requested him to step aside to eat first and take a significant portion of the remaining meat. But he was examining him. It didn’t bother him at all. Elias’ eyes were haunted, eerie and listless. Not of his own accord but through simple chance and circumstance involving a resentful sister and a venomous snake. That was what life had dealt him, unfortunately. But it wasn’t anything he was bothered by or cared about. He could still see with perfect vision. Though, he had not met any faes that had aroused any kind of passionate emotions in his heart. Time would tell. Love, as it was, was not of any kind of interest to a heart like his. Nor was it possible. The best he could muster regarding love would be empty and based on practicality rather than any sense of genuineness or honesty. He looked at the other wolf as he spoke, fresh blood tainting the white fur on his maw. Committing the name to memory, the hunter searched through the ever changing labyrinth that was his mind to see if he had encountered that name before and none sprang to mind. The other male’s attention was on his facial features. His ever mysterious eyes, probably. Elias paused, his expression as always, never changing and never revealing his innermost thoughts or feelings.

“Reindeer. It’s a reindeer my Lead,” Elias finally said, keeping his voice neutral and curt.“I found it while I was out on a stroll from some burrows.”He turned his head, gaze running down the direction he had come from towards the thin shroud of fog. “Down there near the bottom of this slope. There’s a colony of snowshoe hares that provide ample food source for the pack and future pups if rumours are to be believed. I could show you an entire network of burrows that I’ve been tracking and using to pinpoint the more vulnerable sources of food for the pack.”Perhaps Magnus was interested in seeing his skills. The winter-born wolf was new here, completely new. Completely new and relatively mysterious to mostly everyone here. The ones that he had met knew him by appearance and name but he never lingered around long enough for them to delve into his life or anything past the superficial. This would probably be the same. He wore solitude well. Not that he would care if anyone were to scratch past that and give him company, unintended or not. It was not his place to dictate what other wolves should or should not do. So he started to turn, glancing back at Magnus to see if he would stand and follow him. It seemed as if he truly was keen in seeing another hunter hunt.

Magnus watched in silence as the Hunter claimed his winnings. His tail swished back and forth as he waited. They both seemed to watch each other for a little while before the white one spoke. Magnus cocked his head to look at the carcass. The body of fur and blood was mostly buried in snow. Upon closer inspection it was indeed a reindeer. His confusion was understandable though. The deer - clearly male - was a little on the small side, his antlers hardly beginning to grow. The Lead Hunter smirked. "So it is, so it is. With those pitiful knobs for antlers, it seems you've done him a favour in providing his death. At least in this he was able to serve a purpose." His head turned to follow Elias' gaze. He was met with the wall of thick fog. If he wished to inspect these burrows, he would have to get right in the thick of the fog, limiting his vision. Not something he was overjoyed at.

Elias started to turn, seeming unsure. Magnus nodded and fell in step behind the arctic male. They entered the ground-bound cloud and Magnus quickened his pace so as not to lose his subordinate. His pawsteps were quick and powered, leaving definitive prints in the snow. Swishing his head back and forth all he could see was white. Magnus hated the fog. It wasn't natural to him. Where he cam from was a mostly warm climate. In the winter it only snowed on rare occasion and fog was never found. The inhibiting of his sense of sight was disconcerting for the male. As a wolf he had sensitive hearing and smell, but sight was just so important. Sight stopped him from crashing into fallen logs. Sight helped him to spot prey in even the trickiest of spots. Sight allowed him to see Chiara's beauty every day. Still the wall of white went on, his only guide the swishing tail slapping his ribs with the movements of the other wolf. His nose twitched. There was prey here.

“Indeed,” Elias said, returning his attention back to the fog in front of them. His eyes searched the eerie, grey-whitish substance analytically, blankly for something beyond. The fog was a perpetual, haunting thing to some. Something to fear because it concealed the unknown. It was a thing that commanded respect in that sense as even the boldest of wolves treaded carefully. And the ones that didn’t found themselves in precarious situations. Fear was an emotion that the hunter had whittled away, grounded into dust a long time ago. He understood the emotion. It paralysed the muscles, sent adrenaline rushing through the veins as the heart beat so fast and erratically. Sent the pulse racing and froze the mind until it was useless. He did not think Magnus was feeling fear. Uncertain was the word which was far different from fear. He didn’t follow him until a few moments into Elias’ own venture into the fog which would suggested he was slightly uncertain about the prospect of going into the fog. By the time Elias entered it, his ghastly form blending with it seamlessly, the copper male had moved up along-side him pushing aside whatever reservations he had initially held about starting this venture. Elias would have reassured him. Said something or anything but there was nothing to say. It was all straight-forward and he trusted the Lead knew how to move without endangering himself. He had already made it this far up so it would stand to reason that he was capable and adept in doing so. Elias bent his head so that it was aligned with his body, walking calmly and long legs pushing his toned body through the air with practiced ease. It seemed that he was confident and maybe he was but it was merely that he simply did not fear death or injury. And the unknown, consequently, was something of a mere afterthought to him. Whether that was good or not was a question that had yet to be answered. Lack or absence of fear wasn’t some admirable, heroic quality to him. He could of course see the benefit in it. No fear meant no hesitation and an error rate of practically zero when it came to doing things. But it was arrogance in its own way when practiced wilfully and purposefully.

No one was invincible after all as much as one wished to be. When not exercised with cold logic and reasoning no fear meant one ploughed onwards without regard for potential dangers. But Magnus already knew that. He was taking care in moving as carefully as possible, using his other senses to guide him where sight could not. Elias lowered his head closer to the ground so that he could smell the lingering scents of rabbits easier, away from the fog. His eyes roamed over the area, pinpointing the tiny burrows wedged into the ground in haphazard clusters in front of them. They were arranged in a wide network that spread out across the entire area, messy and unkempt. The hunter came to a smooth halt, his body becoming absolutely still. He could smell them too, hiding underneath their burrows. His head sank even lower, the mask of a killer slipping over his handsome face. Without a word he started to advance upon the nearest burrow, silent and deadly. It was a big one, unusually larger than the rest but it was probably interconnected as all burrows usually were. He could easily fit his head inside. Without a single noise he struck, maw opening to reveal fearsome teeth and snapped his jaws inside the hole. There was a short high-pitched squeal of terror. Then a crunch of bone, flesh piercing and organs being crushed. Blood spurted into the air, spattering the snow with crimson red streaks. Elias pulled back, a dead rabbit hanging limply from his jaws but as soon as he did two more bounced out of the burrow, scampering away into the fog. He looked aside at Magnus. On a better day the fog would have been thinner but they had to make do with what they had. It was Magnus' turn now.

The Lead imitated the movements of his subordinate. His large head lowered to the ground that his damp nostrils might also discover the scent otherwise hidden by the fog. Every so often his amber eyes darted up, keeping tabs on the white male and his positioning. It became quite obvious when the other male had found what he was looking for. He came to a fluid halt, if that were at all possible. Holding himself in a clear hunters positioning. Magnus crept lightly to his side, inspecting the underground with only his nostrils. The Hunter was right. There was a labyrinthian underground network. It was not uniform in set grid lines, but haphazard. Tunnels lead every which way, their general direction suggesting there were entrances all over this side of the mountain. The hares would have the ability to escape their predators with ease and return to the surface in a distant, much safer location in mere moments. Truly remarkable.

Magnus held his position as Elias slipped from casual observer, to tracker, to hunter in a matter of seconds. This was his hunt, Magnus' job was to observe and cut off the hares escape should events not go as planned. His body stood tall whilst his head lowered to watch. The other followed the trail of a tunnel to where it breached the surface. Magnus didn't quite have the best view of the burrow entrance, but from the distance it appeared to be of substantial size for a snowshoe. Elias struck, as quick and accurate as a snake. Only the tiniest of screams could be heard before the little life was silenced. The. Hunter returned to the side of his leader, prize in maw. Magnus would have commended him on his hunting skill and ability to find this place. But such a noise would spook the prey. He was already aware that the white males kill would have set off an alert. The copper body lowered, muscles rippling beneath the heavy winter coat. He crept on light pawsteps, going for stealth rather than speed. His through his nose he inhaled and exhaled quickly, tasting and discarding the scents in a few moments. Between his forepaws he found a tunnel. Turning right the copper male travelled a little further out in search of the scent. The scent turned left into another tunnel, bringing the wolf dangerously close to the edge of the mountain. A cluster of boulders protected this entrance, but it was a simple enough task to shift them. This hole was a little more average for what he had come to know of snowshoe hares capabilities. He inhaled carefully, scenting a ft mother and her sweet babies inside. The mother would do for now, the children would only be worth his time if honey were large enough. He jabbed his head inside the hole, far as it could reach. The yelp of a startled mother was cut off by his powerful jaws ending her life and dragging her body from the warren. She was indeed fat, and her pelt was lovely and white. He thought it might make a nice addition to his den when it was cleaned up - a welcoming gift for Chiara.

Truthfully, Elias wasn't hungry so he set the hare down on the snow-covered ground for the other members of his pack to eat and turned his head slightly to the side to watch the other male continue the hunt where he had finished. He did not know what to expect of the other and the situation required stealth and silence so he wasn't surprised when Magnus crept forwards towards the burrow. Or when the Lead Hunter didn't acknowledge his kill. The time for reflection and any words wanting to be spoken between them could wait as everything did have a time and a place. The hunter was absolutely still, his lithe form statue-like as well as his expression. In another time, another place Elias would have been the one who had tricked the male into eating something that would have had some negative effects on his body in some way. But that was when he had been a loner and out of the public eye. When he had been nameless, unknown to anyone who didn't cross his path. But he had to be more careful with his experiments. He hadn't planned on it but he was getting more and more acquainted with the others. Soon, he would be a familiar face even if he hadn't intentionally gone out of his way to be so. Elias watched Magnus attack a hole that was partially obscured behind a cluster of boulders, dragging the body of a dead mother from the burrow. It was a plump creature, one which he had over-looked. Elias glanced at him and said without any particular emotion in his voice, "A brilliant prize though you seem as if you're going to hang its pelt up after eating it."

It didn't bother him. Nothing ever did anymore. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing he did not know. It would mean that he was truly incapable of anything. That he was a mindless robot but that wasn't entirely true either. Perhaps he was just desensitized or time had eroded any kind of emotions. He started to turn, black-spattered tail streaming out behind him. Elias wasn't one to speak much, only when he needed to or when it was of the utmost importance. He trusted Magnus with the location of the burrow and thought that it would aid him in the future for his duties. Perhaps he could plan strategies or training sessions for the pups that were sure to come in the future. It would be a preparation of sorts before attacking larger game and had the advantage of training speed, reflexes and smarts. It would test patience as well and of course, strength. "If you are to take that to your mate then we must go before a blizzard comes and we get lost,"Elias said.

occ: Do you want to end this soon? It's going good so far but there won't be much left after this

(ooc - so sorry for the wait. Finally got some time to do this. But I think we will finish it up.)

Drawing closer to the Hunter, Magnus gave a terse nod and grunt in reply. He had every intention of restoring the purity of the pelt. Even if he had to sit for a week licking every spot of blood from the fur, he would. He wanted to do something wonderful for his beloved. He paused before the snowy-coloured male, dropping his kill and surveying the area. It might very well make an interesting arena for the pups. It would be a good place to test their skills. The journey up the mountain would harden their little legs quickly enough. Although the ledge might seem a bit dangerous, he would instil in the young hunters a natural respect for danger. They would learn fast or they would die. Besides, better they mess up a small hare hunt than spook an entire herd of deer. A mistake like that could be disastrous for the entire pack. It was a chilling thought. Not only might he be a father, but he would also be a mentor to those who chose Hunting as their craft. He had never anticipated becoming an educator. But he supposed it came with the title. He knew he would not tolerate weakness. Not from his own, nor the brood of others. Copper ears twitched as the voice of the other male broke forth once more. Magnus nodded. "Right you are, Elias. We should return to the packlands of the lower valley before we are stuck up here." Despite his appreciation to the male for revealing this food source, he said nothing. No words of thanks or acknowledgement. He merely expected the male to know and understand of his own accord. The great wolfs head dipped, retrieving the mothers carcass. He took a step, headed for the mountain trail that lead to the valley below. It was his expectation that Elias would follow. If the Hunter did not, then that was his choice, the Lead would not force him.

Elias was sure that the Lead Hunter would make use of the burrows if he wanted to. It was a playground, a training ground and a food source all in one place. Course, if the hares caught onto their tactic they could migrate so it was up to him to be discrete. Then there was the terrain itself which was inherently dangerous. It was the perfect obstacle course. The hunter bent his head down slightly, ducking as a clump of snow tumbled through the fog-encrusted air towards him. The winds were picking up again, scything through his fur and nipping at his skin. Elias started to walk, paws brushing the snow with ease as he moved fluidly, silently as befitting of what he was. Silent as a killer. With about as much emotion. But a thought surfaced in his mind. He had assumed, more or less, that the copper male would be mating with someone but he hadn’t known who. And now, in a flash, he remembered that Magnus had been seated closely beside a black female. Elias hadn’t caught her scent but he would guess that the pair were connected in that way. Pups then were most certainly in the future. Not only from him but from the others as well. Elias was no saint, no angel. He had killed before though not by his own paws. Had prolonged suffering and pain when he could have stopped it or alleviate it. When wolves had begged him for death he had given them life just so he could fill an empty void in his soul. Then he had left them to die.

But he had never been in a pack where cruelty and violence were normalities. It was a common mantra that weakness wouldn’t be tolerated. To survive was paramount in this life, crucial so what better way than to erase weaknesses? Though Elias did wonder how far his fellow pack-mates would go, especially Magnus and the Lead Warrior. Warriors and hunters were two of the most important ranks in the pack for a pack could not survive with just healers and care-takers. Ultimately, they would lose or dwindle if none of them could fight or hunt for themselves. A hungry bear for example would be the end of a hapless pup who wandered away from its mother. And the mother too would be finished if she couldn’t fend off the bear or if none of the pack could. In terrain especially such as this, Elias came to the conclusion that being ruthless was the only option. No exceptions. His gaze swivelled back to Magnus at his words, turning them over in his mind. After a moment he said curtly, voice devoid of emotion,“Lead on.” Elias said nothing of the food source as well. It was a silent understanding between them. It seemed as if the copper male was already concocting some training plans in his mind. So he had plans of using it which was good. But the ghostly hunter’s next move was at a place far away. He had his own deviant, eccentric activities that he indulged in. The darker part of him that craved release and freedom. None of which could be satisfied here. As he waited he looked past Magnus, further down where a dark blue and white strip was visible, in a patchwork of gigantic rocks and boulders. There. Shallow Bend.

Occ: No problem. Last post then from me