An incessant stream of bitter mumblings bounced off the empty cavern walls as Legacy stalked into Haishin's dens. Meeting Revan had left a bitter taste in her mouth. She was still sore over Terror's initial reaction to their newest pack mate, refusing to let it go. Right now all she wanted was some peace and quiet to blow off some steam. She would calm down eventually and be suitable for company. But for now... Right now she was very thankful that the dens appeared to be empty. It was the first lucky break she'd had all day.
Slumping down against the wall, she curled herself into the tiniest ball she could manage. Her nose was tucked beneath her tail, paws pinned tightly beneath her body. And with no one around to hear, she let out the quiet whimpers she'd been holding back all day. Tears poked their way through her tightly closed eyes, catching in her fur as they trickled down her cheeks. Her entire body shook with the repressed sobs, and again she was thankful for the empty dens. Once again she felt as if everything was her fault. She couldn't even bring herself to be civil to the newest member of her family after her son had admitted to making an innocent mistake.
Speaking of Terror, the tears flowed more freely as she thought of her son. She'd left him back there, not even barking for him to follow after her. That was highly uncharacteristic for the Mexican femora. Usually she was insistent on keeping the pup within sight at all times. But, she'd just been feeling so consumed by a protective rage and eternal guilt that if she'd stayed she definitely would of added another regret to her ever growing list. The urge to flee had outweighed her urge to be a mother, and now that she was reflecting on the moment she only sunk further into depression. Thank the heavens there was no one around to see her misery.
Large paws much too big for the legs they belonged to gingerly stepped onto old familiar soil for the first time in months. Blue eyes attentively scanned the area before a soft sigh left the brute’s maw. It was one of relief, and the breath he breathed made him feel lighter some how. Like a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders and a huge burden much too great for the slender wolf’s chest had magically been washed away. For the first time in months, he could breathe again.
Apollo stood tall as he gazed over the lands he once and still called home. The land had not changed at all since he had left; it was still dry and particularly hot at the current moment in time. It was, however, nothing too serious to bother the rusty colored male. He thanked the Red blood in him for his resistance to such heat. He chuckled softly to himself at the small pun he made. ‘Red blood…’
His soft laughter soon faded and was replaced with the sound of a heavy sigh.
After the war Apollo had fled as far as he could to the far outer reaches of Anikira, avoiding much unwanted contact from mourning wolves in despair. Being what he was, he could not handle the many emotions that flooded over the continent after the war had ended. Feeling so many sad emotions at once, feeling so many wolves suffering, it was all enough to drive one wolf mad.
It was both his gift and his cruse being empathic. Licking his black lips, the wolf hybrid pressed on, farther into the lands of Kamari. He knew his way through the territory, as if he had never left these lands. He soon found himself at the On-aldirr Crevice, a cavern that acted as Haishin pack’s den.
Several moments passed by as Apollo simply stared at the crevice, trying to work up the courage to actually go inside. Worst case scenario everyone would be there, recognize him, scorn him for leaving, and kick him out. Best case… Well, Apollo couldn’t really concentrate on the optimistic side of things as his long legs trembled slightly as his nerves took over him. Large ears flattened against his skull as his tail curled up between his hind legs and slowly the Manned Red mix forced his paws to move forward and entered the caverns.
Much to the male’s surprise no one was there. No, that was wrong, terribly wrong. Someone was indeed there. He could feel them more than anything. And by feel he meant their emotions. A great wave of depression washed over Apollo and weighted down on him greatly as he stared on with a slightly pained expression at the femora curled up tightly on the cavern floors. He coughed once, then another time as he felt his chest tighten, her emotions choking him. ‘U-urk…! Maybe coming back wasn’t such a good idea after all…’ He mentally whined, who knew the first wolf he would encounter after months would be one still suffering from the war. Or was her distress caused by a totally different reason? ‘Only one way to find out…!’ He sucked in as much air as he could in an attempt to physically gather up his courage before gingerly approaching the Mexican female.
He started by clearing his throat to get her attention (while trying not to be rude about it). “E-excuse me, miss…? Is… everything alright?” He asked a bit quietly, afraid of how she would over all react.
As was usual, Legacy did not realize her precious solitude had been intruded upon until someone else was speaking. Instantly her ears pulled back, lips curling in a snarl as she raised her head. Tears still stained her cheeks but they were flowing less frequently as distrust took over every fiber of her being. Was there no place in Haishin where she could be left alone? Maybe leaving the pack would be best for her, but that certainly wouldn't be best for Terror...
Her glare fixed upon the unfamiliar, long face of the Maned wolf mix. While she knew who the other members of the pack were, she'd always kept herself rather cloistered. As a result of completely ruining her relationship with Zethrox she had gone and imposed an Omega-like status upon herself. It may not have been her official rank (she wasn't even sure she had a rank), but it did not keep her from acting like one. And she was harder on herself than any of her pack mates were.
"Can I help you?" Her voice was raw and filled with suspicion. She couldn't quite place the red face staring down at her, though honestly she didn't really care either. The wolves around here seemed to come and go as they pleased. The war had done an exceptionally good job of scattering them all too. She knew several of the wolves Zethrox had accepted into their ranks never returned for one reason or another. She'd just been too preoccupied with herself to take much notice of who and how. Even now she couldn't really say she was a part of this pack. If she didn't have Terror, she wouldn't have been a member at all.
At his words the Mexican female’s ears pulled back and Apollo allowed himself to take a small step back in fear of being latched out at. When she raised her head, she did not look pleased at all and Apollo soon regretted bothering her. However he swallowed his nervous uncertainty away and slowly lowered his body to the ground so he was laying a foot or so away from the smaller femme. Her eyes bore holes into his face as she glared up at him and he only smiled at her sheepishly, somewhat apologetically.
“Can I help you?”
Her voice rang out through his large ears. Perking his ears forward slightly, he smiled again, though more genuine this time before laying his ears back. “I was just, uh.” He tried to search for the words without making her any more annoyed or upset. He could feel her emotions ready to fly out of her at any moment if he was not careful. He was talking on a thin sheet of ice. One wrong step and he could fall in.
He cleared his throat before continuing. “I was just wondering if you where alright… You seem a little… upset.” He said slowly, licking his lips slightly after finishing, watching her carefully with his blue eyes. Maybe if she told him what was bothering her, he could help her cope with it. It was funny how his random acts of kindness were really just for his own selfish needs. He couldn’t stand feeling the sorrow caused by others, so he tried to help others in order to help himself. He felt relieved when it was over with but also happy, so maybe it wasn’t just selfish.
It was certainly an interesting way to make friends nonetheless.
If possible, Legacy's eyes narrowed. What was he smiling about? He honestly looked genuinely happy to be conversing with her, and the way he laid down told her he had no intention of leaving. He seemed sweet, almost bashful. The Mexican was ashamed to be in his kind presence.
When he pointed out the obvious, however, she got defensive again. Her head turned away from him as she laid it back atop her paws, teeth grinding together as she resisted the urge to howl. "It's none of your business," she spat out acidly, refusing to look at him all together. If he wanted her to talk, that was just too bad. She had no intention of saying a word about what was currently laying heavily on her conscious.
Letting out one bad memory would put a hole in her self-loathing armor. Then another memory would slip out, increasing the size of the whole. If she wasn't careful, she'd end up unloading all of her baggage on the poor guy. She didn't want to do that to him. More importantly, she didn't want anyone else to know about the thoughts that constantly plagued her. She didn't want others to know the true nature of her relationship with Rapture, and she did not want to relive the pain of watching as he murdered her children with a sadistic grin. She refused to tell someone how fragile she thought Terror really was, and that the reason she was so protective of him was because she worried he might turn out to be just like his father. And right now she certainly did not want to talk about how she'd formed a negative, unfair opinion about their newest pack mate just because her son had made a mistake. Legacy refused to let these thoughts breach the safety of her mind.
If she was lucky, maybe the brute would give up easily and go away. All she wanted was to be left alone for a few hours. She needed to calm herself down. She needed to repair the cracks in the mask she so carefully wore. Then she'd be free to interact with the rest of Haishin and maybe fetch Terror from his impromptu babysitters. Sure, she'd still be mistrustful and rather irritable, but her need to cry would have passed and she would have more control over her own behavior. She did know how to act civil when the situation called for it. She just preferred not to most of the time. It was much easier to let herself get warped up in her own misery.
The trek back to the dens had not been a difficult one. It had been a while since Zethrox had ventured into the crevice; it was now hidden better with the growth of brush around its entrance. The crevice was becoming a more suitable den site by the day. He watched behind him, careful to keep an eye on Terror to be sure that he would not fall too far behind him; the last thing he needed was a fuming Legacy to attempt to anger him. It had been a while since his last anger fit, and it would be best to avoid any situations that could provoke another one. Bad things happened when Zeth got angry...
Zethrox's paws danced quickly across the fields, careful not to lose sight of his target. Ardemu had been not too far off, harassing some innocent little female that seemed to have nothing to do with the fight whatsoever. "Ardemu!" he snarled, his eyes falling on the brute's coat. The bright-eyed wolf turned to face him, a snarl playing on his lips.
"Who do you think you are calling for, old man? I don't think you should be out here. After all, it's fools like you that don't ever return from the fight," Ardemu mocked, his eyes nearly glowing as his salivated, longing for the blood of battle. Zethrox snorted, his coat shaking with anticipation. He had not done battle for quite some time, and it was in his best interest to take things slow. That was not the way of the alpha, however, so he had rushed straight in to tackle the root of the problem: his own son. He could not let anyone else handle this evil soul. If anyone were to be killed by the brute, let it be his own father.
"You do not know who I am, do you?" he inquired softly, his feeble attempt to appeal to the humanity he hoped was buried deep inside Ardemu. He was, after all, Rixes's son. That had to count for something. But the brute simply narrowed his eyes at the older timber wolf. "You are a failed challenge. You are a wolf that has seen too many days, yet does not know when to call it quits. You are a fool, an old wolf trying to live his younger days with no thoughts of the consequences to his life. I bet you have a nice little family. I bet they will miss you when I tear your throat out and watch you bleed to death here on the battle field," he goaded, a smirk toying with Zethrox's head.
It did not take long for the honest smile to spread across the alpha's maw. "You really have no idea. If you must know, I did fight when I was younger. I am too old to be out here, and I have seen many days of fighting and bloodshed. I am foolish, I am old. I see no consequences in my actions out here, other than a possible victory. I do, indeed, have a family, although not much left. In fact, the only remaining member of that family is right here with us." Ardemu's eyes glazed with confusion. What was the old coot getting at? Why would he not stop talking and let them do battle in a semi-honorable fashion? "Will you shut it?" he snapped.
"Sure thing, son," Zethrox sneered, watching as Ardemu's eyes grew wider, the realization of who stood before him slowly spreading through his body. He noticed a slight tremor in the brute's stance; he had thoroughly shaken the wolf - and that was when he struck. Zeth flew at his son, teeth bared, aimed for the kill while Ardemu was still puzzled by the alpha's accusation. And then, the unthinkable happened.
Another form, one that he had thought was here to help, slammed into his side. Zethrox groaned, feeling the claws of another wolf slash into his coat, the hot blood rushing to the surface with no delay. The brute smashed against the ground, the other wolf snarling and keeping him down as long as possible. But what shocked him the most was who it was. "Krever." He thought he had gotten through to the female. Had she truly hidden her grudge this long? Had she toyed with him in unthinkable ways, leading him to believe that she was on their side when she was actually planning his death from day one? He had trusted her, even grown to love her. And now she was here, jaws snapping angrily at the brute's throat as he wrestled beneath her. Something snapped.
With a nearly jaw-dropping roar, Zethrox threw the femme from him, rage flooding his entire body and pumping adrenaline through his very bones. He was virtually unstoppable - anger was a mild statement for the emotions he felt now. Anger, wrath, delusion, betrayal, unkept rage, bloodlust, and worst of all, nothingness. He felt no remorse, and he channeled the anger into the only thing he could think of - fighting. He charged at Ardemu, the brute now fully aware of the threat this old wolf posed to him and stood ready to fight. The crunching of bones, the snarls of both pain and conquest, and the triumphant howl of defeat ensued. It was mere moments before the bloodied body of Ardemu lay crumpled beneath the alpha's paws. He did not bother to look for Krever. There was nothing left of him to care about what may or may not have become of her...
Zeth shook his head, the bitter memory filling his mind. It had been a bittersweet day. The danger had been thwarted, but he had unleashed the demon that he worked so hard to bury for all those years. It had taken months for him to recover from the fight. Such emotions drained the wolf, nearly killing him at times from the emotional trauma alone. He could never let that happen again. His emotions needed to remain in check. To let them run loose again could turn him into the monster that his son allowed himself to be.
The alpha spied Legacy and Apollo within the dens, nodding to them in recognition as he seated himself slightly inside the entrance to monitor the wolves as they arrived. He would not speak to them now. He needed this moment to think through what had happened. It was not smart of him to make any judgements until he had the time to cool down. Hopefully, while the others arrived would be enough time for this to happen...
For a split second Apollo thought this femora was going to tell him what was brother her. However when she laid her head back on her paws and no longer met his eyes, he knew he was dealing with a stubborn one. Then she spoke, and at her words he sighed heavily. Although she was probably right, it was probably really none of his business, but he made it his business. It felt like it was, when he too was suffering. Her emotions were flowing right into him and it was a problem, his problem.
He watched her for a moment, debating on what to do next. He could press her but that increased the chances of her becoming more upset. He didn’t want that. That could not end well. Licking his lips, he decided best thing to do now was start over. “I’m Apollo.” Introductions were a must to become closer to someone right? He needed to gain her trust before she would pour her heart out to him and let him help her. It was the perfect place to start. Luckily Apollo was patient enough to take baby steps at a time.
‘Secret training helps too…’ He thought to himself with a small smile before a distant howl caught his attention.
“All members of the Haishin Pack please meet back at the dens for some important business.”
Flicking his ears back, he frowned. ‘Zethrox…’ He suddenly felt a wave of nervousness wash through him, and this feeling was his own. Standing up suddenly, he turned to watch the entrance of the den waiting for the Alpha brute to appear. When he did however, Apollo’s nervousness increased ten fold and his heart pounded in his chest. After the war, he ran off without telling anyone. Now that he had returned… Well he had no clue how he was to be greeted.
“H-hey there boss.” He stammered out with a sheepish smile as he looked at the old Alpha brute as he sat waiting by the entrance for the other pack members. Apollo took a deep breath and closed his eyes. ‘Okay Apollo, deep breathes you’ll be fine. Zeth is a reasonable brute; he’ll understand you needed time to yourself…’ He tried to encourage himself mentally before scowling. He was also worried about the other members, having so many wolves around him after being isolated for a few months was a little scary. What emotions laid waiting for him on the other side of the den’s threshold?
His search for some food hadn't gone as well as he had hoped for; though the ground was healing and starting to grow since his time as alpha it seemed that game was still hard to come by. But the land had grown a lot and the desolate and dead earth that had once been beneath his feet now was covered with grass and plant life and Koli imagined that it wouldn't be long till Kamari was full of wildlife. But for now he just had to make do with the odd rabbit and the rare find of deer. He had hoped to find enough game to bring back to the pack but had only stumbled across a small family of rabbits. He'd managed to catch a few and had ate enough to keep him going but for a pack of seven there wasn't much to go around.
The dead rabbits in his mouth he felt the blood trickle down his tongue and hunger once again gripped him. It had been quite a while since his last good meal and he was still hungry. But he couldn't be selfish; he had to fight against his hunger and allow the rest to eat. Sooner or later some good game would come along and once that moment happened he could eat to his heart's content. But for now he had to act as one of the pack and put their needs before his own; that was how a pack worked and Koli wasn't going to abandon their needs for his own. He had done too many selfish things in his life and Zethrox was giving him the opportunity to make up for those acts and start walking down the right path; and he wasn't going to disappoint him.
As he neared the den he heard the call of Zethrox calling all the members to the den and Koli picked up the pace. He reached there in good time only to see that Legacy, Apollo and Zethrox were already there. Placing the game on the floor he nodded respectfully to Zethrox and found a spot for himself and laid down. He wondered what Zethrox wanted to discuss but looking at his alpha he could tell that asking wasn't going to be a wise move so he would just have to wait for the rest to come. Turning his attention to Apollo he lifted his lips up into a smile and wagged his tail. "Apollo, how have you been?" His eyes turned to the game he had caught; its smell was starting to kill the cave and he turned his eyes away from it hoping that doing so would get its taste out of his mind. "I brought game back... i've already eaten, if you are hungry then please eat."
Terror was right on Zethrox's heels on the way back to the den, it was quite a hike... The little pup felt like the journey to the springs was a lot shorter. Maybe it was because he was running a majority of the way there because he thought Revan was chasing him. And Big Zeth wasn't the fastest walker either, he seemed to be taking his time on the way back to the dens, to inform of the pack of some important news. It was a bit random, but Terror just went along with it.
As the den came into view, Terror quickly made a sprint for the entrance with his tongue lolling from his mouth and tail like a ruttier behind him. "Mommy!" Terror called out, pouncing on her body tucked away in the back of the den. He didn't necessarily miss his mother, he was only parted from her for a couple hours but he was always going to be a momma's boy. Panting with happiness, he greeted each of the pack members one by one excitedly. He was especially nice to Koli, sucking up in a way so he can grab a bite from one of the rabbits he brought home. So much commotion and almost everyone was at the dens, it was like a family get-together!
After nibbling on the bunny carcass for a few minutes, Terror yawned a large, wide yawn and blinked a couple times. Boy, he hadn't even had his nap today! he was filthy from rolling in the mud, and soon enough his mother would notice it and get scolded... He was a little rebellious and naughty. Laying down on the den's floor, his golden eyes looked around hastily and ears were attentive as he waited for Zethrox to make his speech. But he was getting sleepy... And Terror had a feeling that Big Zeth's news was going to be boring. He rested his head on his front paws, yawned again then closed his eyes. Slowly drifting off into an uneasy nap.
Revan slowly padded into the cave after Terror and Zethrox. The rain had washed the slight mineral scent of the springs from her fur during the trek to the dens. She almost jumped out of her skin on the last step in when the thunder cracked above them. "Eep!" she yelped, flattening her ears and tucking her tail between her legs. Taking several deep breaths, she managed to calm herself down enough to force her body to relax.
The pupils of Revan's emerald eyes widened to allow for better vision in the dim light of the cave. Her pelt felt tight with nervousness as she looked around, meeting the eyes of all her new pack-mates for the first time. When she met the vivid blue eyes of a Red Wolf/Maned Wolf cross, Revan thought she saw something in the other; a kindred spirit perhaps? There's something about that one.... she thought. While Revan considered herself an empath, she did not actually feel the emotions of others as if they were her own. She knew what others were feeling; her skill at reading the silent language of the of the body was such that, to her, it was as if others would scream what they were feeling, but she did not feel them. Like being in a constantly talking crowd, even when others were silent. For her, reading others was more than a habit, but less than an instinct - harder to 'turn off' than to deal with. It had saved her life on several occasions, but it was why she sought solitude more often than not. A memory flashed across her mind....
"Come here, now."[/b] Fourteen-week-old Revan shivered but did as the strange alpha said. She nearly stumbled over her large paws as she walked to the spot in front of the huge grey wolf. "Sit." Revan did so. "You have trespassed in my pack's territory," he growled. "Why are you here?"
The pup was shaking. Even though there was no anger, no emotion at all, in the wolf's voice, the anger was clear to see in his eyes as he towered over her. "I d-didn't know..." she mumbled. Her injuries, from her father's attack two weeks ago, had barely healed into scars. Would this alpha finish the job and kill her? In a way, she hoped so. She risked a glimpse up at the eyes of the other. She was shocked to see a kind of rough sympathy in the alpha's eyes. "Hmph." The huge grey stood. "I'm not going to kill you," he said gruffly. The pup's eyes widened in surprise. "How-?"
"-Did I know what you were thinking?" The huge grey smiled. "I can see that you have a great journey ahead of you. Let me tell you something that will help you along your path. It may save your life one day." The elder leaned down to whisper something into Revan's ear....[/i]
Wrenching her mind back to the present, Revan realized that everyone else was looking at Zethrox. She gulped, gathering her courage, before stepping forward, finding a place against a wall that had no scent of a claimed spot, lying down, and turning her attention to the Alpha and waiting for him to speak.
After weeks of her small prints not touching even a speck of dirt on her pack's lands, the gaunt female was on her way home. Her gait was worse than normal with her limp a little easier to spot, but her hard eyes dared the ground she trod over to laugh. Zhen had not enjoyed the nothingness of being alone for such a period of time, but matters had not been in her own paws and it was the past now and she was home. The weather was cooler than it had been when she had left, winter was on the way. One harsh winter and it could kill Zhen just due to the cold, she was not a true wolf but a giant naked rat according to some.
Thoughts of black feathered birds crowded her mind as the striped female turned into the crevice. She had not heard the pack meeting call but had figured this would be the best place to start again, get a good night rest before moving through the pack lands as a member again. Mumbles about Fohn, giant striped rat, and the wolf who had been so stupid to have a bird as a friend quit as dark eyes fell upon the assembled wolves within. Some were new faces, others were not, but it seemed she knew less than she didn't know. Asking names was not a good way for her time back to restart.
After a small nod to the Alpha her form drifted up against the shadows on the wall, turning her eyes on the form of a young pup on the floor. His coat was mixed hues of green, cute for now, but he would grow up to be a normal wolf at least. Zhen scowled at him, but quickly knocked it off, the pup had done nothing wrong, but she was hoping he would say nothing if he woke up to notice a short haired beast among the fuzzy bodies. Why are so many assembled here? Did I miss out on something important?
She scanned the den once more for other faces she had known to be in the pack, but there were not there. Now was not the time to ask since she knew that most likely being gone for awhile would be trouble for her anyway. Slender legs shifted as she stood in waiting, wishing once more that she at least had the coat of a wolf so she wouldn't always feel so misplaced.
"Legacy." She did not move as she gave her name, nor did she say anything afterwords. As far as she was concerned, this conversation was over. He would get no more out of her. It was already bad enough she was on the brink of tears again. Saying anything more would surly result in crying. Legacy did not like crying in front of others.
Only serving to make matters worse, Zethrox's voice suddenly carried into the dens. Her ears laid back, frown tugging at her maw as the announcement of a pack meeting greeted them. Wasn't this just peachy? Now she'd have to suffer through a pack meeting. So much for her plans to be alone. The only highlight was that Terror would be returned to her side. She really hadn't meant to leave him like that. She'd just... really needed to get away.
Adopting a mask of indifference, she barely made an acknowledgment toward the alpha's arrival. Her back remained towards the entrance as she lied still, ignoring everyone else who slowly trickled in as well. Only when Terror pounced upon her did she make an movement at all. Turning her head, she happily licked the side of his cheek before glaring at the muddy state of his coat. Just what had Zethrox let him do while she'd been sulking?
Thankfully she didn't have the heart to scold him right now. There were too many unfamiliar faces present, and she'd barely had her chance to greet the pup before he was trying to introduce himself to everyone. When finally he laid down to fall asleep, a soft sigh left her lips. Hopefully he wouldn't be any trouble now.
Shifting slightly, she turned to keep her eyes on the body of her son, refusing to meet the gazes of any of the others. There was still the problem of his nightmares, so monitoring her son in silence was a perfect excuse to not talk to anyone. She was still on the verge of tears and didn't trust her voice. Hopefully the others would be smart or timid enough to not try talking to her as well. They would only be met with a cold stare or complete indifference. Silently she wished for this pack meeting to be over already.
As the pack all finally gathered in the dens, Zethrox nodded in greeting to each member. It had been a long time since the full pack had been together, and this was probably the first time a couple of them had seen each other. Legacy's uneasiness did not go unnoticed by the alpha. He knew how unhappy she was to be here, but he also knew the security the pack offered to her and, more importantly, her son. But this was not the issue at hand.
"Thank you all for coming when I called... It seems like it has been quite some time since I've seen some of you," he allowed his voice to trail off as he glanced at Koli, Zhen, and Apollo. They had virtually disappeared as of late, and he was going to be the first to express his displeasure with the actions of the pack lately. "But there are some problems. It seems that lately, no one has been working together for anything. How many of you, other than myself, actually know everyone in the pack?" His question carried a heavy message. A pack is supposed to be a family. If this is how things go, then we may as well be a bunch of loners that just so happen to live in the same place. With that out in the air, he continued.
"Now, I know that we have not done much lately as a pack. I think it is about time we get our acts together." Zethrox glanced around the den. They needed something to bring them together. "And so we're going to start doing things like a pack." He glanced at the rabbits Koli had brought back, and he nodded toward them. "Anyone that is hungry, go ahead and eat. But I think we need to do some pack hunting. I do not know about the rest of you, but I have not had myself some large game in quite some time." He shot a look to Koli.
"Koli, I want you to lead the hunting party. Take Zhen with you. For now, you can assume the ranks of Hunter. Koli, you are now Lead Hunter." He glanced over at Legacy; Terror needed to start learning some of the skills he would need when he was older. He was already almost eight months old and had not accompanied any of the wolves with hunting. "Legacy, Terror is to go with the hunting party. You are free to join them if you wish, but he needs to start learning to hunt and fight." He waited for her response, knowing that she would not take kindly to being told what her son was going to do.
Zethrox knew that it would probably be wise for him to name a beta for the pack, but right now he did not feel he knew any of the wolves well enough to trust them with the position. He would wait a little longer to consider that for anyone in the pack. "Apollo, I would like you to take the rank of Warrior. You are one of the larger members of the pack, and I believe you will be well suited for this position." He watched the maned wolf for his reaction, hoping he would be pleased with the assignment.
"Revan, I will wait a little longer before I decide on a rank for you since you are the newest to the pack," he explained to her, not wanting her to feel left out. He did not look at Legacy; he was sure she knew why he had not assigned her a rank. Until she gets her act together, I don't want anyone brushing with her. She needs to know that I'm not going to put up with her crap anymore.
"Anyone have any questions?"
((OOC: Spark, your wolf CANNOT be an empath. You made absolutely no mention to it in your biography, and you left the staff no options to approve or disapprove of it. Such abilities needed to be cleared with the staff before you start roleplaying them. Apollo has been an empath since his creation, just like Irirangi has been able to see and hear spirits since her creation. But powers cannot be added after the fact.))
Licking his lips, Apollo waited a little more than anxiously for the rest of the pack to gather. One by one, face the Red Manned mix both recognized and didn’t recognize emerged through the den’s threshold. After Zethrox, Koli walked into the dens followed shortly by a young bouncing pup and a black femme with green eyes. After that, Zhen walked in. Apollo frowned a little, was that all? What happened to the others of their pack? Then he remembered. ‘The war.’ His blue eyes fell to the floor suddenly finding it most interesting.
When Koli greeted Apollo he relaxed a little to see a familiar face and smiled at Koli, his tail wagged a little as well. Of course, the dead rabbit in Koli’s maw didn’t go unnoticed either as Apollo’s stomach gave an awful low rumble. The desert hybrid gave a sheepish grin to the black brute hoping his rumbling tummy went unheard.
“I’ve been…” He paused for a moment then frowned a little, furrowing his fuzzy brows. “Good... Yourself?” He finished with a small tug on the corner of his lips he formed another smile. He couldn’t help but smile at the Grey Wolf before him. Koli was probably the closest he had to a friend in Haishin since he’d joined, aside from Zeth himself. Apollo eyed the dead rabbit Koli offered up and licked his maw, opening his mouth to thank him he was cut off by a hyper little pup greeting him and everyone else in the dens.
Apollo blinked at the odd attention and took a half step, half shuffle back and watched as the young pup stole his fill of Koli’s food. ‘U-urk… I wasn’t that hungry anyways’ He pouted a little and watched the pup happily make himself comfortable next to the femme he met earlier, Legacy she called herself if Apollo heard correctly. Watching for a moment another smile tugged on Apollo’s maw. So that pup was the reason she was so upset earlier? While he could still feel the upsetting energy melting off her, it seemed to ebb slightly as what he assumed to be her son (he looked and smelled of the same family as her) settled down at her side once more.
Shifted from paw to paw Apollo watched nervously as he waited for Zethrox to talk. Luckily he didn’t wait long as he began to talk almost immediately once everyone was in the dens and had settled down.
"Thank you all for coming when I called... It seems like it has been quite some time since I've seen some of you,"
There was a pause, and Zeth’s eyes flickered over their faces. Apollo winced back ever so slightly when the scared alpha’s eyes fell on him. A peg of guilt washed over him. ‘I should have come home sooner…’ He frowned a little before going back to listening to Zeth as he spoke once more.
"But there are some problems. It seems that lately, no one has been working together for anything. How many of you, other than myself, actually know everyone in the pack?"
Apollo winced again, it was true. Apollo hardly knew anyone here. Half of the faces he’d never even see before until just moments ago. Flicking his ears back, he dared take a glance over everyone else in the dens. These wolves were his pack mates, his friends and most of all his family. He sighed and pursed his lip out slightly in a small pout, feeling like a rather bad member. It was not his fault he was cursed… He sighed again and closed his blue eyes and listened as Zeth barked about doing things as a pack and going on a hunt. When he gave out ranks, Apollo paid attention to the wolves he was talking to, trying to figure out and remember the names he addressed everyone with.
When Zethrox came to him, he perked right up and smiled at the older brute, waiting anxiously for the position he was to be placed with. However he couldn’t help but be somewhat disappointed when the rank of warrior was placed on him. He really wasn’t much of a fighter… He might have been someone rebellious when he was a kid but those days where long gone. Of course, he wouldn’t complain it was something he was good at, even if he liked it or not. Zethrox probably noticed this during the war. He winced at the memories and Zeth gave a valid point. Because of Apollo’s breed he was fairly tall, although he considered himself quite short compared to others of his breed. It was the red wolf in him that hindered his full height potential. “I will try my best, sir.”
He had missed Apollo's presence and to hear that the orange coloured wolf was doing well was good news to Koli's ears. Apollo was one of the few he called a friend and one of the original pack members; they had beenthrough so much together so it was hardly suprising that they had become close. But with so many new faces Koli found himself feeling slightly out of place, with Krever, Dewet and the rest gone the only 'surviving' members apart from himself were Zhen and Apollo and it was rather saddening to think that so many of those Koli had come to care for were gone.
The sound of the pack's pup bolting in soon drew Koli's attention away from his old pack mate and he smiled softly down at the pup. He had a soft spot for young Terror and found that the anger he often felt melted away when the young mexican wolf was around. He fought back a laugh as the pup bounced around, sucking up to him to get a bite of the rabbit. He had often thought of a family; more so when he had been with Athabasca. But he had come to the conclusion that he wouldn't be a good father; there was still too much hate and anger within him, besides what was there to stop him from repeating what his father had done? No... it was just best for him to play it safe and just be an average pack member and not pass on his legacy.
Speaking of legacy, the pup's mother seemed rather quiet and Koli decided it would be a good idea to talk to her later; all that was stopping him from having a private chat with her now and finding out if she was okay was the obvious importance of what Zethrox had to say. So he turned his head away from her, nodding to the recently absent Zhen as she made her return to the Haishin pack. He had often found the wolf a little strange with her sandy colour and her stripes but he had come to accept her. True, she wasn't the best looking wolf around but she had a strong heart and that's what he liked about her.
Finally Zethrox spoke and Koli felt a pang of guilt as Zethrox looked at him. It had indeed been a while since he had last seen his alpha; he had been gone for a while taking a deeper look into Anikira and wondering the borders of Haishin. He had needed time alone to really get to grips with all that had happened during the fight with the Knaves. So much had happened and he had felt so rushed to recover from it that it had all become too much; so his time away had been rather beneficial and now he was back for good. But perhaps that had been selfish; Zethrox was absolutly right, he didn't know everyone and they weren't acting as a pack. If the Knaves were still around they would have been easily overthrown.
What came next surprised Koli so much that he let out a small yelp. He was going to be the lead hunter? Well, it was an honour to start off with, he had always thought after his failure at being an alpha that he was unworthy of any responsibility; and his mood swings and short temper often went against him. Not to mention the fact that he didn't think he was the best hunter in the world. But perhaps it was time he had a little responsibility; and at least he would have Zhen to help him out. Nodding a thanks to Zethrox he looked over at Zhen and the young Terror; wondering what the young pup would be thinking about with the news that he was to go on his first hunt. He remembered his first hunt so clearly and could remember how excited he had been; this pup was going to learn so much and have so much fun.
Listening to Zethrox give out the other ranks he smiled at Apollo feeling the rank was well deserved. Although he himself was a good fighter and had been trained as a pup to be strong he felt that Apollo was much more worthy of the rank then he was. Apollo wasn't a wolf Koli would like to get in a fight with; and that wasn't because they were friends. The wolf was a lot bigger then he was and predicted that Apollo would easily overpower him in a fight. But even if his rank was lead hunter it didn't mean he couldn't fight and if Apollo ever needed him he would be there for him. "Thank you Zethrox; it is an honour to serve you as your lead hunter. When do you want me to take out the hunting party?"
