><Mundane Duties><

[Cepheus]

Did alphas patrol borders or did they send underlings to do it? And did he care? A walk never hurt anyone but someone who was already doomed to die, and he preferred to pretend he hadn't in fact been in that condition before the snow came in. At that moment, however, he was stiff but functional, finally healthy enough to not require the rest of the pack to do his dirty work for him. And since being cooped up in the den of a tense pack who generally had never favored him was not the best of conditions, he was grateful to do some pack duties indeed.

So the alpha patrolled his borders, black and brown-red -- once a more brilliant roan color, but age and stress did wonders to the vibrance of one's coat -- wolf weaving through the trees and paws crunching against frozen leaves and snow. He had scented Onus a few paces back, leaving pack territory, but the male's position in the pack was more tenuous than his, and so Cepheus found no reason to question the male. Good or bad to not question it? He supposed it didn't matter.

The male slowed to a stop, relieved when none of his old wounds protested the movement. Once he got going he could keep going for days, but one abrupt move and he toppled over from stiffness and pain. He had to regularly walk around, too, or the scar tissue got stiff and refused to move without a bit of pain to remind him of his fight to become alpha. Or rather his fight to save his mate. Who had cheated on him. Hmm.

Cepheus didn't really feel anything in that regard. The problem was that he didn't seem to feel anything. Just the basic duties of the pack consumed him, and when he didn't have anything to do, black fell over his mind, bleak prospects. What was he but the unsteady, scarred alpha of an unstable pack? Bleak indeed.

With a sigh the male scented the air, ears perking upon the smell of a deer. What was it doing so close to wolves? Could only mean it was foolish or ill, and that gave Cepheus the opportunity to bring home some food for the pack and actually seem like a decent alpha. 'Oh, good Cepheus, you actually did what you are supposed to do!' With a grim smile the wolf set off, wincing as his old wounds protested, but soon weaving through the trees, set on bringing home a prize for a pack that may be neurotic, stressful, and ultimately insane -- But was still, in the end, his.



((Yay Cepheus! ;D ))

[RandomWiktor]

Breeze, are you chiefly looking for Sheba here or do you want general pack interaction as well? And wowza, you actually found a suitible photo for him! Rock on.

[Breezey]

I was thinking of general pack interaction as a whole, though Cepheus getting to know Sheba would rock as well Haha, yeah, I found that picture by searching black wolf, and it actually works for him. o.o

[Sheba]

Sheba had thought her fight with the feral dogs bad – the moment where the crushing incompetence of her dogs had overwhelmed her loyalty and she abandoned them, worse. That had been before the constant anxiety of living on Cepheus’ land, always conscious of the imposition she made on him and his wolves; furthermore, she couldn’t escape the awareness that some of her packs’ more troubled members may incite the wrath of such a violent creature as Raze – heck, he had issues with some of her competent subordinates. As if leading a pack of largely unrelated and nutty canines hadn’t been tough enough already.

Finally, however, she’d bowed to inevitability and taken a short jaunt on her own; it would be better to de-stress now than to explode later, particularly considering the targets available. If she did not vent her spleen at Raze – and she didn’t doubt he would beat her in a fight, older and battle-worn though he may be – then Vex or Terrogus would catch her ire, which wouldn’t be fair. Granted, it wasn’t all bad. Sheba had found unexpected – and selfish – solace in the fact that Cepheus seemed as uncomfortable with the overall arrangement as she; that, at least, she could sympathize with. Besides, he’d been entirely reasonable and responsible about having wolves on his territory that didn’t exactly view him as their alpha.

In fact, she’d found herself rather unexpectedly respecting the male; despite his obvious discomfort, the awkwardness in the pack, and his still-healing wounds, he took pains to do his duty as an alpha. Bleak though he may be, he seemed to take his responsibility seriously. Although she’d always been thankful towards the male for taking in her pack while the grasslands burned, she’d frankly assumed having two alphas on the same territory would result in violence.

Well, with the grasslands still black and newly dusted with snow, it looked as if the packs would have to cohabitate for a little while longer. Which meant playing loner for any length of time and allowing something untoward to happen was highly irresponsible of her; with a sigh, the female turned her nose towards the den and began to trot her way back. Even though she’d found no prey – her stated goal – the time alone had done its work and soothed her to a calmer mindset. A quick sniff of the air to ascertain her position brought a surprise with it, however; apparently, she wasn’t the only alpha who’d chosen to take a trip alone. She hesitated, uncertain; would Cepheus wish her to intrude on his solitude? He’d only recently healed enough to take long trips away from the den, and he probably needed time alone more than she.

On the other hand, he’d only recently healed enough to be away from the den. Far be it from her to coddle her host; all the same, she picked up her pace and directed her feet in Cepheus’ direction. She let loose a short, soft howl to warn of her approach, and couldn’t help the way a smile touched her lips as she neared the other wolf. Lonesomeness was all well and good for a short time, but she was still a social animal at heart.

[Cephs Pack]

___Saabin raised one groggy eyelid as he felt the sharp tug of Athenry's teeth on his ear. The pup seemed to find his barely ambulatory and consistently depressed state as good cause to try and rouse him both in stance and emotion, and thus frequently awoke him in such a fashion. Unfortunately, the pup's cheery, playful demeanor only served as a reminder that he and his mate would bear no pups together, separated by land at best and life at worst. Painful though his numerous slow-healing injuries were, none ached so deeply as the feeling of loss he had become intimately familiar with over the past several weeks. He felt gutted as though by the horns of an angry elk, but on a deeper, less physical level. Still, he wouldn't deny the pup pay-off for her noble efforts, and always cracked a small smile at her shenanigans that was too young to recognize as contrived.
___Trista sat nearby, tail wrapped around her haunches as she faced the creek, back to Saabin and the pup but one ear flicked back and its twin constantly in motion as she listened to them and the surrounding forest. She was watching Athenry for Animus and Nero, who were both finally strong enough to leave the protective cover of the stream's banks. They were likely practicing their motor skills again now that they had them back, chasing one another through the icy forests to build lost muscle so that they might assist the pack this winter. Trista was happy to watch the youngling in their absence; she consistently felt like an unwanted and unhelpful outsider among these ranks, so any task where she might redeem herself was a welcomed one. Admittedly, in watching Athenry, she was likely trying to make up for deeper regrets than her standing within the pack.

___To the west, at the rendezvous site, Larkas was resting in the diminished shade of an elm tree rendered naked and skeletal by the change in seasons. Being one of few wolves in the pack without some type of bond, he tended to fluctuate between third wheel and loner; Animus had Nero, Brindam had Beyli, Raze had Treasure, Shunka had... some neutered dog that she hadn't gotten up the nerve to bring home yet. Even the newcomers had their attachments; Jaara was steward of her crazed father, who in turn kept Vex company, and Mahalo frequently left the pack to visit Umbra, apparently driven by some peculiar guilt about having not detected the approach of the male who had attacked her. He supposed he could spend time with Tambura, but she only had eyes for Raze, and often simmered in anger when it became apparent that Sheba was ousting her as future alphess. His best bets for entertainment lay with Jaara, but he hated to bother her if she was busy contending with her father. Ultimately, his overwhelming sense of boredom and isolation selfishly won over his better nature, and he tilted his maw to the pale skies above to inquire the female's location.

___Raze, despite his tumultuous mood that moved suddenly and seamlessly between intense depression and wild fury without warning, had made an earnest effort to spend more time with Treasure. He invested many of his waking moments courting her as though they weren't already mates, behavior which perplexed her but seemed perfectly logical to him. He felt a need to start over entirely anew: to redeem himself in the eyes of his mate for all of his vast shortcomings, to have pups that he would be a better father to than he had his last litter, to start a pack that was his own, not that of a male who had been forced into the position by his own failures as a leader. What better way to rebuild than to reconstruct the very foundations of their bond?
___Presently, Treasure and Raze were lying by the creek, the latter rolled on his back with his head pressed firmly to his mate's flank and legs tucked lazily over his chest. Treasure could feel the tension in his body from the prolonged contact, and had attempted to move away once already, only for him to growl scoldingly and nudge closer. She wasn't sure why he was making such alarmingly uncharacteristic overtures at her; perhaps what had happened with Umbra (the name sour in her mind) had set him over the edge more than she even realized. His antics, though endearing, were somewhat unsettling. She could not read his mind, but suspected they were an atypical representation of some kind of profound self-hatred; where most wolves moped, he attempted to be pleasant. The albino she-wolf sighed, ears flicked back not so much in agitation as frustration. Could she ever convince him to forgive himself enough to have her Raze back?

___"Why can't I play with Athenry?" whined Aura, her short muzzle with its undershot jaw resting on her paws while her ears drooped low. The pup did not understand the way her parents kept her segregated; even old wolves like Terrogus got to play, yet she was scarcely let out of their sight! In fact, whenever she tried to interact with much of anyone, either Brindam or Beyli would appear in a huff, scolding her like she did something wrong even though it was their eyes that looked frightened and guilty. She had a feeling it had something to do with the big gray wolf with his horrible torn face and hanging ear; whenever he was around, her parents were tense even to her naive young senses. She hated the mean old wolf for his apparent role in her restricted freedom, and vowed that when she was bigger, she'd challenge him next time he looked at her parents that way.
___Beyli, for her part, was growing stressed with the pack situation. She knew she had heard Raze suggest he intended on leaving the pack once things were better under control, and struggled to hold out until that day. She was not fool enough to leave with her mate in the dead of winter, two aging wolves and a pup too small to fend for herself, but she was so unsettled by the explosive animal that she constantly battled her instincts to get her pup as far away from him as she could. His hatred of her and Brindam had not relented since the day he'd found them among the pack's ranks, discovered their secret with almost preternatural ease, no matter how peaceful and cooperative they were. It was eerie to see a creature so driven by spite.
___Beyli's trepidations were Brindam's outrage. He could not help but be defensive when the male glared furiously at his mate, eyes making no attempt to mask his desire to harm them both. He wished he were brave enough to answer the threat, yet though the wolf was stiffened by injury and age, he still doubted his ability to win - and if he were gone, who could defend his mate? Besides, such a sight could only result in expulsion from the pack, and given the circumstances such an action could only be ruled suicidal - or perhaps homicidal in the case of his vulnerable pup. Thus he swallowed his pride with the same agony that one might swallow razors, avoiding Raze as best he could.

___Vex was bored. She hadn't see Terrogus about today, and Raze was so focused on Treasure that he was most unwilling to foster her antics. The hybrid had no one to play with, and though she'd attempted several times now to encourage a box turtle to interact with her, it simply folded up into its shell each time, becoming even more dull - something she didn't think possible for a slow moving, silent reptile. Tail wagging over her haunches, she circled the animal several times with tongue lolling, patting at its domed back with her broad paws in frustration. The box turtle withdrew again, and Vex flopped down on her belly, head resting on her paws with a low whine issuing from her throat. The hybrid let out a series of loud, rapid-fire barks, wishing there was something more entertaining to do with her day.

((Ok... this thread is taking WAY too long to write, and I haven't even put all of the characters in. So I'm just going to wrap it up here in pursuit of interactive writing. Post away.))

[RandomWiktor]

Finished, albiet poorly.

[Cepheus Jaara Terogus]

Something old or ill could still kill a wolf, particularly one as injured as himself. Such thoughts didn't have much bearing in his mind, though; Cepheus brushed them off as insignificant. He needed to be a better alpha, and they needed food in the dead of the winter. Hence, Cepheus would hunt it, no questions asked, no room for doubt in his mind.

It thus was likely a good thing that Sheba had scented him and then decided to "interrupt" his silence. Cepheus paused, posture drooping uncertainly. It wasn't that he didn't like Sheba. On the other hand, he recognized that she was a far better alpha than he was. She had the weirdest members -- the two puppy-stealers, Vex and her friend... It seemed the only normal ones were herself and Jaara. Yet she commanded them all with skill and, it seemed, little difficulty. She had even thrown herself -- abide a bit foolishly -- in front of Raze. She was the alpha Cepheus was not, but aspired to be.

What could she want with him, then? Perhaps they were leaving the territory? But no, he smelled no other wolves with her, and it would be foolish to leave at this time anyway. Was she going to challenge him for his pack? No, the howl wasn't challenging; it was... Polite. Almost friendly. Company? Could that be it? Just simple company?

Ears twitching with uncertainty, Cepheus howled softly to Sheba to confirm his position, hoping that the howling would not drive the deer off. He could not hear it moving, and its scent didn't seem to have moved. He wanted to chase after it, leave Sheba behind. But she was his equal, even if she was on his territory, and Cepheus felt he had to sit and politely wait.

Besides, he secretly knew he couldn't take a deer on his own, no matter how much he denied it. He hoped that perhaps Sheba would take it upon herself to spare him and help him with hunting, though needing help from a complete stranger struck him as awfully close to personal betrayal. He could not decide whether the move would make his pack favor Sheba more, or send them both further into disfavor...

---

Jaara was uncertain about her father. Being around a normal -- er, sort of -- pack seemed to be... Changing him. On the plus side, he seemed calmer, and she found she was actually able to have decent conversations with him. On the down side, these conversations often became awkward, as Terogus wouldn't remember basic facts about their family, and would often press her for information that she did not know and could not provide. That, and he now suffered panic attacks, often whining and digging at the ground for no reason.

She was doing less babying of her own father, though, and for that Jaara was grateful. As the two wolves slipped into silence, Terogus rose, announced he would find Vex, and disappeared. Jaara breathed a soft sigh of relief. Though the male clearly found it stressful, he still tried to play with Vex as much as he could tolerate, a habit that was closer to the father she knew.

The female rose and was pleasantly surprised to hear Larkas howling for her. The male struck her as one of the few sane members of the pack, and often a pleasure to meet with. They had not spoken for a few days, however, and the female wondered how he would take the news that her father was, in his own special way, recovering. Tail waving, Jaara howled in return and set off to find the male and share the lukewarm news. Terogus may be getting better, sure, but a part of her told her that, in truth, she would probably never get the father she remembered back.

What Jaara didn't know was that disturbed Terogus too. The male found that his mind didn't seem to work right -- clear memories or thoughts were often bogged down by random, sometimes frightening things. Images of wolves being shot or drowning, fires burning or being poked and prodded and shoved into odd boxes. He really couldn't remember much anymore -- he tried to think about the days before this pack, for example, and mostly came up with convoluted thoughts.

He didn't know where he had been for the past few years, and that frightened him. A tiny part of him started chattering, but with a frown he shoved it away. Not today. He was going to be good today. He followed the sounds of barking over to Vex. He no longer was as insane as her, but she still was a friend, and when he thought about the past few months, she was the clearest memory.

Thus, the male let out a playful bark and bowed in the female's direction.

"Come on -- he's too boring."

His voice sounded old and tired, and the attempt at humor sounded seconds away from panic at best. The male knew, though, that as long as he played the part, Vex would hopefully not notice.

((I need to stop changing Terogus's sanity levels, but I'm having fun. His anxiety should be easy to write considering my own. *cough* ))

[Sheba]

Sheba paused, lips twitching with doubt; Cepheus’ answer had been perfunctory at best, without a hint of the enthusiasm she felt at the thought of interacting with the male. Perhaps her first instinct, that interrupting the other wolf would be rude, had been correct – not that she could leave now. She shook herself and loped forward, as if being prompt she could somehow ameliorate Cepheus’ annoyance. When he came into view, however, strange ruddy coat dark against a background of snow, he didn’t seem annoyed; in fact, he seemed almost – uncertain, and worried.

She picked her way delicately towards him, mindful of the ice, eyes active as she searched for the reason of his discomfort – not that a discomfited Cepheus was a rare sight, but she held out hope that he had another reason than herself for his current demeanor. Having failed to discern anything useful with her eyes, the she-wolf put nose to air and sniffed; then she felt like an utter fool. Howling with prey nearby – what a puppy’s mistake. She cast Cepheus an apologetic glance, touched his nose in passing greeting, and then padded by him, nostrils flared, intent upon the prey.

That the deer hadn’t moved when Cepheus replied to her howl indicated that it was wounded or otherwise had reason to wait out the threat rather than fleeing; but having two predators nearby must have broken its nerve. In a crash of brittle winter boughs, a buck burst from the cover it had found in a bank of undergrowth. A wound on its flank, damp where it had broken open as the deer floundered free of cover, marked it as an easy target; the one antler remaining to it after the breeding season, two of its tines broken at the tips, seemed pitiable defense to Sheba’s eyes. The she-wolf glanced behind herself just once, to catch Cepheus’ eye and confirm that he would hunt with her.

Then she howled, as a matter of course, for her pack, even as she launched herself after the buck; but it seemed to her that the hunt would be finished before they could arrive. A meal provided by the alphas seemed a pretty idea to Sheba, who had never been one for delegation; and although hunting was always a serious matter, particularly in a pack with pups and injured wolves, she could not suppress the thought that it would be interesting to see how Cepheus comported himself – would he, as alpha, put himself where the most skill was needed and the danger great? Or would he remember his injuries and leave that place to her?

When the buck’s back hoof whistled past her ear, sharp and deadly if it had connected with her skull, she put aside all thought of hierarchy and character; she gave herself over to instinct, and looked for any place to sink her teeth. Its wound slowed the buck, and its limbs did not move so freely on that side; overall, it seemed a poor thing, bedraggled from the rigors of breeding, its one antler tangling with low-hanging vegetation as it attempted to flee. With a growl for courage, Sheba darted close and snapped at its legs.

The animal came down in a tumble of limbs and harsh breath, and Sheba danced back before it could strike her. No killing blow, that nor even crippling; the buck came back to its feet with a rush, eyes rolling, stinking with adrenaline and fear. It turned its head towards her and shook its pitiful rack; Sheba snapped and darted aside, and hoped that she had its attention firmly enough that it would not notice Cepheus when he struck for the killing blow. All of her attention on the deer, she had no thoughts for whether or not a still-healing wolf could manage to bring it down.

[Larkas and Vex]

((No spell-check on this computer so oh, read at your own risk my friends))

___Were the box turtle privy to Vex's name, he would have found the title very apt. Here he was, simply attempting to return to his hibernaculum before the frigid temperatures proved a serious problem, and now this foolish oaf of a canine was meddling with him. He could feel his limbs becoming sluggish in the cold, and cursed himself for having been fooled by a few days of warmer weather into emerging. Mother nature with her false pretenses of spring, really! The wolfdog's explosive barks only added to his irritation as, grudgingly, he now tucked himself back into into his shell, the hinges of his plastron closing off the preventable hazards of the outside world. Now if only the unavoidable danger of the cold could be escaped.... ((Yeah, this is SO a new character))
___Vex's head snapped up when she heard Terrogus's words - perhaps a bit too quickly, because her eyes got that far-away look they tended to when she'd rattled loose a few screws (which knowing her could been more accuracy than idiom). After a few moments of dazed silence, however, the wolfdog grinned broadly in his direction, great pink tongue lolling and one good eye asparkle with merriment. Her tail wagged hard enough to quake her haunches as she padded over, ears and head lowered slightly but muzzle reaching enthusiastically with a lapping tongue as she greeted her friend.
___Only then did she seem to notice that he was in a play bow, and this realization set off that spark of playfulness that always readily accelerated into an inferno in her case. Already snapping at the air, her forelegs slapped the soil hard, hindquarters a little too splayed so that the barrel of her chest thumped the nearly frozen soil hard in the process. If it hurt, she was minimally effected, letting out a few half-growling playful pants and waiting to see what he would initiate - chase, wrestling, or some other game. Occasionally her gaze drifted back towards the turtle, however, and finally she noted,
___"That lizard makes absolutely no sense. It's carrying a huge rock around with it instead of just hiding under one." Her eyes widened. "Can you imagine if the squirrels start carrying trees with them?"

___Larkas was pleasantly surprised to find that Jaara was in the vicinity and apparently not too occupied to come converse with him. He felt a twinge of guilt for doubtless calling her away from her father, but perhaps she occasionally needed some time away from him to sort her thoughts; he knew he often did when watching over Raze during his times of injury and illness (which mercifully had been a rarer event as of late). Besides his selfish delight with her company would not permit him to mull over the matter any further; he could smell her scent on the wind and now aware of the trajectory of her approach started off to meet her.
___The trees looked drab and skeletal in winter's cold embrace, their trunks muted gray-brown and even the hardy needles of the evergreens appearing duller than their bright spring hues. Overhead the sky was gravid with clouds, likely soon to bring snow over the land - he thought he may have even seen a flake or two drifting through the trees. His breaths snaked from his nostrils in visible twin tendrils of steam, and he loved every minute of it; even as a pup he'd always enjoyed the winter more than the hot summer months. His pale pelt likely contributed to this enjoyment, as he was always more successful on the hunt with the camoflage of winter at his aid. Saabin had teased him in the summers about his pelage being better suited for the mountains than the browns and greens of the valley forest. Larkas cringed a bit at the thought of his brother, who though gradually recovering was still far from having a sure shot at survival - particularly if this was to be a rough winter.
___Finally the male caught sight of Jaara's dark pelt weaving through the trees. By her carriage and the expression on her face, he could see that she was feeling a bit better than when they'd last spoken. Her father's fragmented mental state had been very unsettling for her, and though she put on a brave face and did a fine job of coping while assisting him, he knew that it wore on her greatly. He smiled to see her in (slightly) more chipper spirits, and approached with a wagging tail and enthusiastic nudges and licks. Larkas always remained somewhat reserved in his greeting rituals since his father's quirks about physical contact had resulted in more muted responses among the pack in general, but he was still abundantly clear that he was pleased to see the female.
___"Good morning, Jaara!" He said with a broad smile, standing still so she could greet him in turn if she so desired but with his posture very relaxed. "It is a pleasure to see you as always, how have you been?"

((I am not posting the rest of the pack for now for the sake of actual player interactions happening in a timely fashion. I will probably add to this later or in future posts, but I wanted to get the actual game play out where it belongs))

[Cepheus Jaara Terogus]

Cepheus did not really know what to make of actual, physical interaction with other wolves. Unlike the rest of the pack, it was not Raze that had ruined his ideas about wolf communication. Rather, it was spending a lot of his time alone or feeling that he was worthless or undeserving. Thus, to have Sheba -- Sheba, out of all wolves -- come over and greet him as an equal. Not a soppy alpha or a subordinate, but a fellow alpha.

She knew about the deer, though; that he had known from her sheepish look cast his way. And then it burst through; Cepheus's head jerked in its direction, ears snapped forward, tail high. He had been feet away from it and hadn't realized it; he should have at least been able to smell the blood, fresh on its flank as it clumsily ran. Panic streaked through him -- was he losing his sense of smell? Was he to be a worthless hunter?

Then Sheba met his eyes, and understanding flicked through him. She wanted him to hunt with her. For all he was injured, worthless, or depressing, she wanted his companionship, even though Cepheus had no doubts that Sheba could handle it herself. His stiff legs moved before his brain had caught up, rushing for the buck, who kicked out a powerful hind leg in Sheba's direction.

Cepheus threw himself into the fray, clamping his jaws down on the buck's snout -- lowering in the fray, its pitiful rack aimed at Sheba -- and pulled. Unbalanced and injured, the buck toppled, legs buckling in as it landed on its chest, bones broken, nose cavity collapsed. Growling, Cepheus thrashed his head, in an attempt to keep the buck from thrashing him, certain even as he could feel the buck unable to breathe that he would somehow be thrown last-minute...

---

((LOL, that box turtle will make an amazing character))

Terogus's ears flicked back when Vex didn't approach right away, but there was no need to worry; the hybrid soon bounded over to him and greeted him enthusiastically. Terogus returned the greeting with one of his own, brushing her cheeks and licking.

He went to pounce her, but then Sheba's loud howl floated over the trees, and Terogus's ears pricked at the sound. His attention rapidly returned to Vex, though, and he couldn't help but laugh at her suggestion.

"That'd be weird. How would they carry them?"

The male bounded to his feet and pranced a few feet away, tail wagging -- and this time with some earnest.

"Hey, sounds like a hunt. Race you!"

With a playful bark, Terogus turned and ran, paws slapping the cold ground as he charged in the direction of Sheba's howl, though he had a feeling Vex would tackle him down. She never did play fair.

---

Jaara couldn't help but smile when she saw Laarkas -- he looked delighted to see her, and his greetings confirmed that. It was almost flattering, really, to think that a near-stranger was so happy to have her as company. She really couldn't blame him, though; who else could he converse with? Raze?

Tail wagging, she licked and nudged the male in return, keeping her reaction polite and muted. No need to be off-putting. She then smiled at his exuberant greeting, ears perked forward. Flattering, indeed; in all honesty, even her father wasn't this excited to see her on normal days.

"Pretty well, actually. Terogus seems to be gaining some of his wits back, though unfortunately he seems to have replaced them with panic."

Her tail drooped slightly and her smile faded; she loved her father, really. But just when she thought she wouldn't have to worry about him, when she could start thinking about him as her father and not a sick wolf, something else came up and ruined her hopes. At least she could leave him alone for longer, though, instead of having to babysit ((babyshit, wow)) him all of the time.

Whatever she planned to say next was cut off by Sheba's howl, and Jaara's ears perked.

"A hunt. It's so normal it's almost strange."

The female chuckled; it was true. She imagined Larkas would agree.

"How about you? Surviving the insanity of two packs on one territory?"

[Sheba]

Sheba’s tongue lolled from her mouth from exertion and fierce joy of the hunt, tail flagged high as she danced out of reach from the stag’s meager attempts at reprisal. The rich iron taste of blood in her mouth offered a poor substitute for the flesh she would consume once the prey met its inevitable fall (although the pups and sick had first choice of organ meat, some part of her mind noted). When Cepheus struck the buck and brought it to the ground with one well-aimed, powerful bite to its snout, it served as exultant confirmation of the skill of their pack and their worth as alphas.

Not that we’re alphas of the same pack, came a thought like rain clouds intent on turning the firm earth to mud, set to an apt background noise of the buck’s last stuttered breath as Cepheus’ teeth crushed its nasal cavity. She trotted closer to the dying animal, ready to seize its throat should it make a last desperate surge for life; but it did nothing but feebly kick one back limb before its glossy eyes went unfocused and dull in death. Sheba smiled and nudged Cepheus’ flank, careful to keep the contact brief in light of the uncertainty of their relative ranks, but unable to contain her happiness at having so efficiently carried out their hunt. Not a bruise between them, thanks to his precise and powerful attack, not to mention the sensitivity of his nose, which had found the buck in the first place—

If she stood around grinning about it, not only would it look strange to Cepheus, but the pack would not know to gather for a meal. Sheba tipped back her head and howled, loud and long enough that all of the pack members could hear; she hoped doing so would make it clear that the kill would serve for all their bellies, and not just those who had first claim on fresh meat. The thought brought with it an unpleasant reminder of the pack’s – packs’ hodgepodge of health and temperament issues. The idea of Raze, Brindam, and Beyli all feeding at the same carcass could give a wolf nightmares, if she dwelt on it too long.

When Cepheus let go his death grip, she turned to him, her face firmly returned to something more businesslike than the fierce and triumphant expressions it had worn during the hunt. Although her own mouth salivated with the want to be at the kill, she asked him, “Will we need to take enough back to the den for Saabin as well as Athenry? I have to admit...” She paused, embarrassed although she had no concrete reason to be so – the male's condition was not technically her concern. “I’m not sure if he can walk this far.” She had little business around the puppy, after all, and subsequently saw little of Saabin, and wasn’t sure how the wolf’s condition had progressed since his first dramatic appearance.