Not So Alone [Open-Maybe Joining?]

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"Come on Trout, the sun is already up. We don't want to get caught out here." The voice was smooth, though slightly fatigued, Calandra had been trekking all night, and with the rising of the sun she, and her companion, would be exposed. The slender Maned wolfess was moving at a swift pace, stilt-like legs propelling her across the desert.

"I don't think this is a good idea..." The voice was timid, and came from the black muzzle of a male, likely a Timber Wolf, as this was the only other wolf breed Calandra had known about prior to his appearance.

"Oh come on Trout, by now I know this desert pretty damn well. We're not going to get lost. Sure, I'm a little bit hungry, and water would be nice, but we're managing just fine, we can sneak over to the river later tonight, but for now we need to find somewhere safe to rest for a few hours." Calandra gave the ebony wolf a quick glance and jerked her head for him to hurry up. As usual, he wasn't tired at all, nor did he seem malnourished, like Calandra. Indeed to anyone watching would see only the russet female, exceedingly slim and yammering away to no one. Trout, who claimed to be a ghost, was no more than figment of her imagination, but either Calandra was unaware of this condition, or she refused to admit her psychosis.

Rounding the crest of a dune, Calandra stopped, scenting the air with her long nose, nares confirming their solitude - she hoped. Well aware that the tactics she used to keep hidden could be used on her in turn, Calandra insisted on their constant traveling. She knew there was now a pack ruling over the Occasus, and she was unsure whether or not she wanted to have a run in with them. Would they welcome her to their home? Would anyone else be able to see Trout? None of the other wolves she had met could see him. She didn't want To be made fun of for her ghost-best-friend. He was the only friend she had ever had, and was content with he idea that he might be the only one she would have in her entire life time. After all, she had never run into any other wolves that looked like herself since the death of her pack. Maybe she was the only one left.

Shaking her fur roughly, a small puff of sand wafted upwards, a final flick of her white dipped tail released the last of the dusty earth from her red body. Calandra reclined, Trout coming to a stop beside her, and nudging her shoulder. "You alright?" He asked, concern evident on his face. She had never needed to take a break before, at least not out in the open.

"Yah, just tired is all. It's been a while since we had a good, long sleep. Or a decent meal. With the dry season, it's going to get harder." She paused for a moment to think, weighing her options. "I know we'll manage, but sometimes I think it might be easier if we found others to help." She sighed, mismatched gold and grey eyes peered out over the vast expanse of the desert, "I just don't know." This last statement was anything but solid, and Calandra as quite doubtful if what she had said, that they'd be fine, was the truth.

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It was cool out, but anything was better than the chilly breezes that swept through Xisyn. The iranian male, finally drawing the conclusion that Osiris was no longer nestled in their canyon, emerged, defeated. How long had it been since he had seen his brother? A sigh slipped from his blackened lips. Anubis was distraught, overwhelmed, and torn. "Don't worry, Anubis. We will find him," the comforting voice of Amun caressed the iranian's ears. "All we have to do is look."

It was good that the black-backed jackal had such a positive outlook, but he could not be so pleasant. His brother had been missing for days. It had taken more than a day and a half to simply dig a large enough hole in the debris to poke his head in and notice that Osiris was no longer there. It broke his heart to realize that the brute never once cried out for help. He was stoic and proud as always, and never once had his brother accepted defeat from the rocky walls of the canyon. "Yes, we must find him."

And so Anubis and Amun set off into the desert, certain to locate their brother and friend. The slight wind blew dust and sand particles into the brute's eyes and nose, but they were virtually ignored. Perhaps Osiris had wandered further into the Occasus and was simply waiting for him. But he would have come for me. He would know that I would be searching for him, he thought, furrowing his brow with fret. He trekked on, not minding the bland nothingness of the desert. Eventually, he would find someone or something. Perhaps he would run into the pack that had driven them from the desert all those years ago, and they would help him find his brother. It was a long shot, but all he could do was hope.

"What is that?" Amun remarked quietly, and the iranian male lifted his head to spy a huge, lanky wolf on the horizon. "That, my friend, is another wolf," he responded with the slightest smile. The appearance of another being meant hope for him. If this wolf knew anything of his brother, then maybe they could find him after all. Anubis needed a beacon of hope to show him that there was still a reason to continue searching. Maybe this wolf could provide it. As the pair hastened toward the wolf, Anubis let out a short yip of greeting, alerting her to their approach so as not to startle her.

"Hey there," Anubis called out in greeting when he got within earshot, noticing that the femme seemed somewhat preoccupied with herself. Maybe she had not heard him and Amun; the last thing he needed was to scare her and end up getting attacked. With Amun by his side, that was not likely, but it was always a possibility. And he was technically trespassing on pack lands, which made it all the better. What if this female was part of the pack Irirangi betaed? He would end up thrown out once more, and that would not help him at all in the long run.

"I'm sorry to bother you miss," he started, his yellow eyes flashing with uncertainty as he flashed a crooked smile in her direction, hoping to appease her if she was, in fact, angered by his approach. "But I am Anubis, and this is my friend, Amun. Have you happened to see another wolf that looks a lot like me?" His description was paltry at best. "By that, he means... Our friend Osiris has gone missing. We last saw him in the canyon south of the desert, and he has not made an appearance since. I don't suppose he may have come this direction," Amun emphasized with more clarity than his counterpart. In his confused haze, Anubis could not think straight, let alone converse with another wolf. He was too busy being wrapped up in worry for his brother.

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Calandra's indecision was quickly dispersed as a voice sounded from behind her. She gave a whiny yip and started forwards in a jerk, before rounding on her heel to face the wolf who had addressed her. Obviously she had become very nervous of confronting others in any capacity, perhaps saying pack life would be easier was just another dream in her head. Her ears fell back, her fur slick against her body, tail curled pitifully around her leg, Calandra took a lowered position.

She swallowed hard and nodded to the wolf and his companion and straightened herself up a bit, then glanced to her right at the still present figure of Trout. They hadn't acknowledged him in any way. Calandra quickly concluded that they couldn't see him either.

"Hello." She finally managed before they began explaining their arrival and purpose. Calandra knew directly that she couldn't help them as she hadn't seen anyone in weeks. The jackal put her off a bit - she had never met a wolf that traveled with a partner other than another wolf. Wait, did she count? Trout was a wolf... but a ghost. She pushed that thought aside.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Calandra." She greeted and flashed a quick smile, relaxing a bit more at their introduction. "I'm sorry," She stated, casting her gaze down at her feet, scuffing her paw in the sand. She looked back up at the wolf, then to the jackal, then to the wolf. "To be honest I haven't seen anyone in quite a while. Sort of been avoiding contact since I heard there was a pack in the desert again." She froze suddenly, eyes widening at the two, the fur along her scruff prickling then flattening as her emotions fluctuated. "Y-you're not part of it are you?" She asked, half worried and half excited. She studied them swiftly: they didn't smell like the markings she had come across, and she certainly did not recognize the smell of the jackal.

She glanced at Trout, he was just standing there, gaze steady at the pair. He gave her an encouraging nod, "This will be good for us. Maybe they'll be our friends? We could travel together?" His voice rang out clear as day to Calandra, so she focused hard on the others. Did they hear him? At all? She had little hope for her invisible companion, his ghostly existence seemed to be limited to her.

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Anubis smiled wryly as the femme addressed himself and his companion. Unfortunately, she had not seen his brother, much as he had expected. The iranian brute was growing tired of this hunt. Maybe he had parished in that cavern after all, and this was a complete waste of his time. He would need to figure out what he was going to do, and he needed to do it soon. Amun nudged his friend out of his daydreaming.

"No, we have nothing to do with that pack. They have caused more problems than they are worth," the black-backed jackal spat irritably, his temper rising to the surface. Anubis stared at the smaller jackal, aghast by his outburst. The brute turned to the maned wolf, who had introduced herself as Calandra. "Pay no mind to him. He's got a bit of a temper on him," the wolf explained, a strangled grin across his face. He was sure it did not truly reflect happiness, but it was the most he could muster right now. All he wanted was to locate his brother, and perhaps Isis. They were all he had left in this life, even if the Beta had caused him more problems than he could count.

Yet it had always been Osiris that got into trouble. The brute had been a firecracker and a challenge to their sister's leadership, in addition to that of their parents. Anubis was certain that, had they remained healthy much longer, their mother and father would have expelled Osiris from the pack. He had always been a threat to their leadership, and he was sure they noticed that as much as the rest of the pack. But most of all, Anubis missed Ma'at. The femme had been such a support to him growing up. While their parents had been absent for much of their upbringing, Ma'at had served as a motherly figure to them. She had lost her's and Ra's litter not a month before Osiris and Anubis were born, and so she was able to nurse the pups as if they were her own so that the alpha female could handle her duties as normal.

It was because of this that the loss of Ma'at had been nearly incapacitating to the brute. Anubis had loved Ma'at more than his own mother, while Osiris had, in a way, looked up to their parents. The brute never completely understood his brother's attention toward his parents. They had meant nothing to him because all they had been were the leaders of the pack. They were not his mother and father. They had simply been the wolves that created him.

While the brute was lost in his daydreaming about the past, Amun turned to look at Calandra. "He's having a hard time. I'm hopeful that we can come across his brother before he goes insane," the jackal huffed in irritation, but he truly missed Osiris as well. What Calandra said had bothered him, though. "What did you mean when you said that there was a pack in the desert again? What happened to the last pack? Where is Irirangi, or is she gone?" the jackal rattled off anxiously, his previous suspicions of the wolf fading away as he realized there may be a life for them in the desert again. Anubis may have been distraught, but his companion was looking for any opportunity to make life easier on himself. If that meant jumping into another pack, then so be it.

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They hadn't heard Trout - not a peep. Well at least she now knew that she wouldn't be able to communicate openly with Trout in front of the two canines. She relaxed considerably as Amun confirmed that they were not part of the newly established pack in the desert areas. She straightened her body and let her ears flicker forwards, her fur rising to a more neutral position; they were all on the same level now.

Anubis apologized for the outburst, but Calandra shook her head dismissively, she understood what he meant. While Cal hadn't run into the pack, she could imagine that their new reign over the area would hinder many of the wildlings that called the sand home.

Anubis seemed to drift off internally, so Amun then explained a little about his larger companion. Then questioned her about the rising of another pack. She sighed a little, now recollecting times long past.

"My family used to be a small tribe here, nothing grand like the massive legions that inhabit this continent. It was just me and my parents, and a few close pack members. There were only around six of us. They all fell to disease..." She trailed off, voice catching in her throat as visions of their defeated bodies rose in her consciousnesses. She'd lost them all, every wolf she'd ever known in such a short span and was left completely alone, her skills underdeveloped.

She remembered then that first day alone - the first day that her last living friends and relatives had died. She had ran as fast as she could, paws beating against the desert sand as if it was responsible. She ran until her body gave out, until her legs quit and collapsed beneath her. Then she'd just lain there, curled into a little russet ball, crying and howling until the night washed over her, bringing sleep.

The days following were perhaps the most painful, she was ill equipped to hunt on her own, and it took her days to catch even the simplest of prey. But she was better now, and adept at solo life, she wondered if she could even handle being in a pack. Would she be more of a burden than anything else?

"I'm the only one left, for some reason I survived." She sighed and gave a little shrug, "I've lived mostly alone for ages now. Are you two from here? I haven't ever come across your scents before." She was attempting to change the subject, hoping to bring about happier topics.

Trout had moved right up beside Calandra now, and had nudged her gently as she spoke of her former pack, and family. He knew how hard that was for her, and knew that she sometimes thought it had been her fault. Why had she lived and the others died? Had she brought on the disease? Trout didn't think so, but sometimes Calandra did. Those days were dark.

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It had taken some time, but gradually Anubis emerged from his recollections and started to pay attention to the bigger femme in front of him. She spoke of her family, and on that point, Anubis had plenty of sympathy and empathy for her. He nodded his head in support, all the while comparing himself to this wolf. At least his brother and Isis had made it out alive. They were to consider themselves lucky. Off-handedly, the brute wondered if the infectious disease that his family contracted was the same as that one that massacred Calandra's family.

"We lost our alphas, Ma'at, and Ra to a similar disease," he admitted as Amun nodded his head in agreement. The brute continued with his story. "My brother and I lived under our Beta, Isis, for some time until Osiris and Isis clashed heads beyond the point of repair. It was never very logical between the two of them. I always wondered why they ended up so differently..." He trailed off, once again finding himself caught up with the emotion of the situation. It was from that point Amun picked up where Anubis had left off.

"We were lucky. Whatever took the Alphas, Ma'at and Ra left us alone. We must have been watched over by the Gods. But we have been hidden away in Xisyn for quite some time now. We are natives to the desert, yet we have not returned for many years," the jackal concluded with a sigh. It always bothered him that the resident pack drove them out the way they did. It was not even a logical banishment. They had the assistance of that blasted dead alphess to lead the beta right to them. They had never stood a chance to stay hidden away from Zahir.

"We haven't been back for quite some time," Anubis reiterated Amun's point. "I would not be surprised if the beta here drives us out once more. We were but pups at the time, but it was still one of the most devastating things we have ever endured. The rest of the pack got sick due to the temperature changes, I believe. Tis hard for a desert wolf to be torn from the desert," he grumbled irritably. The longer he was away from his brother, the more frustrated he became. Anubis had developed an almost unhealthy dependency on Osiris. Over the years, he had been the support of their family, and without him, Anubis's world was starting to crumble around him.

Calandra was turning out to be good company for passing the time, but the longer he rested, the more restless Anubis grew. "Stop fidgeting," Amun snarked, thumping his head against the wolf's side. Anubis had not even noticed the shuffling of his paws until his friend pointed it out. Maybe they could hunt to pass the time, or maybe Calandra would be interested in helping him find Osiris. "Do you want to... come with us?" he asked shyly, suddenly uncertain of his idea. "I would love to have some more company." Amun shot him the stink eye; he would not be pleased to have another wolf traveling with them. With how long the three had lived in harmony, adding another wolf to the mix was the last thing Amun wanted to do. It was at that instant the Anubis had a revelation. He flipped to face Anubis and spouted off his train of thought.

"Isis said she was going to come to this pack. Maybe if the pack comes, she will be with them. And maybe she knows where Osiris is," the iranian brute mused suddenly, a renewed hope filling his chest. Perhaps Zahir would know of the whereabouts of his brother. They had traversed these lands for many years, and it would only be logical that they would know any alternative routes out of Xisyn. He had to be around here somewhere; Osiris simply had to be alive, and Anubis would not rest until he was found, dead or alive.

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Calandra too had begun to wonder if the same disease had stricken both their lives - it wasn't an unlikely thing. They also had been gone for some time from the desert, that would be why she couldn't place their scents to any days in her wandering years. She was certain that if she were to come across any of the pack wolves living here she would recognize them by their scents. The safety of a pack often made one a little numb to the covering of their trail. It usually wasn't a big deal, but Calandra knew the desert. It could be impossible to detect a wolf in the shifting sands that didn't want to be found. Cal, and Trout in her mind, had been living that way for some time now. It was more of a passive way to avoid confrontation, if she had come face to face with another wolf, she wouldn't have run.

They spoke of being driven out too, an experience that Calandra couldn't directly empathise with, but she certainly understood being alone - or mostly alone. She felt a sudden upwelling of comfort being with Anubis and Amun, they seemed to have a lot in common. A sad thought that others would have dealt with similar, or worse, hardships as Cal.

Anubis had become restless it seemed, his paws shuffling like an unnerved antelope. Her stomach grumbled at the thought of large game, though hunger fell from her thoughts as Anubis asked if she would go with them. Calandra couldn't help her tail from waving a bit, a smile crossing her muzzle along witha slightly surprised expression. Trout nodded at her encouragingly... when had he moved to stand in her field of view? He was standing now, next to Amun - this action made Calandra slightly worrisome. Why was her ghost pal so fond of this pair? Did he want her to go away? Was he planning on leaving? She surely hoped not, and he seemed so happy standing with the other two, his own tail swishing back and forth, a brightness around him. Maybe even her ghost friend longed for more companionship.

She nodded slowly at the offer, "Yah. I could maybe help you find your brother. And it would be nice to take down something larger to eat. I'm a bit sick of eating jack rabbit." She laughed a bit at the thought of how monotonous her food life had become. She really did enjoy eating, not in a glutenous way, but there was something about satiating hunger with the help of friends that could never be replaced. Maybe she did long for pack kinship. Trout nodded at her again as she thought this, and a broader smile took over, tongue lolling from her mouth in a gentle pant.

A plan seemed to be formed in front of her too, Anubis wanted to ask the resident pack if they had seen his brother. A wolf, Isis, was supposed to be with them. It was a logical idea, and Calandra did agree it was a good step forwards. "What happens with they recognize my scent from my trespassing?" She asked, a little more serious now. She had been wandering around the desert for ages, right under their nose. Truly she had suffered for her isolation, and her thin, slightly malnourished, state was all she had to show for her evasion.

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"Perhaps it is best if we let the alpha know that we are here now, rather than wait to find out what happens if our scents are all over the desert," Anubis suggested amicably. He was in a much better mood with the renewed hope that his brother may still be around the desert. "Have you been traveling alone all this time? I could not have made it this far without Amun." The brute smiled at his beloved jackal, and Amun smiled back in return, though it was a more tight-lipped smile than his counterpart. Amun had never been much for expressing emotion, let alone in front of strange wolves. He trusted no one but Anubis and, to an extent, Osiris. That meant that the rest of the world was a threat, which was a common idea in a world where he was much smaller than the wolves that surrounded him. Luckily, he was well-known for his ability to single-handedly drop prey twice his size. While it may not be helpful against a skilled fighter, it certainly meant that he could hold his own.

"If you wish to hunt, I would be more than willing to oblige, but I feel it would be best if we either waited for the confirmation of the alpha or headed to the loner lands if we wish to do so. I do not feel like facing the wrath of a scorned alpha who believes we are milking his territory for prey," Anubis rambled with a hint of unsurity in his voice. The brute was anxious to get everything sorted out. Once they called the alpha, he could talk to Isis and they would get everything worked out. Osiris would surely be with their sister; she would not have let anything bad happen to him. And then they could go back to being one big happy family. It was a fool-proof plan.

The brute was so lost in his own world. It seemed as if, at every turn, he was falling back into his mental wonderland. This was stressing him out and messing with his mind more than it ever should. After all, most grown brutes did not stay with their families, nor did they travel with their brothers. He was an anomaly, and he was overwhelmingly dependent on a wolf that he should not even still be traveling with. The fact that Osiris was missing left a hole in Anubis that was similar to that of a lost mate. It was borderline pathetic.

This entire time, Amun was simply scratching at his ears impatiently. He did not have the desire to deal with other wolves, and yet Anubis kept proposing that they have even more strangers brought into the mix. He wanted to take off and keep away from this pack all together. "Can we get this show on the road?" he grumbled, nudging his companion. Anubis nodded his head.

The iranian brute threw his head back and howled for the alpha of the territory. All he could do was pray that the beta that had driven his family from the desert was not the one to respond to his call. That would be the icing on the cake, and he simply could not handle that right now. He needed his family to be together so that he could get some sanity back in his life.

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It was true that the punishment for stealing was likely severe in such an arid place, and perhaps the few mice and hares that Calandra had taken had gone unnoticed, but bigger game - enough for three... Four? - would likely not be overlooked. Calandra nodded slowly as the decision was made to call for the Alpha, though she beta getting quite nervous. This was happening very fast. Not ten minutes ago it was just her and Trout, but now there were two others, and soon maybe an entire pack! Her brows furrowed at the thought, but she remained as calm as she could manage.

As Anubis howled, the raw instinct of pack life took her and she joined him, her own notes lifting into the dry air, rising high to sweep over the uninterrupted dunes. It felt nice to join in this gesture of summoning, as if she belonged. She stopped as the call ended, ears drooping a bit to the sides out of contentment. She reclined then, as they would likely have to wait for the arrival of the alpha, or other such superior wolf. Twisting her hind leg, Calandra made the awkward movement to scratch at her chest and up under her chin. Her shorter fur didn't lend itself to insect home making, but when the little crawling creatures did mange to settle within it, irritation was imminent. A small beetle erupted from her fur, flying off towards somewhere else that it found safe. Her entire body seemed to crawl then, so she shook herself roughly, then settled back down.

"have you always travelled with you family?" She asked suddenly of Anubis. Calandra did not think this act weird as her pack had been a family group, with youngsters rarely leaving to pursue a life elsewhere. It made breeding infrequent, true, but often enough there wasn't enough food or water to support a littler of pups. It sounded like Anubis had quite a few siblings. She wondered what that was like, she'd only had herself when she had been growing up.

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[atrb=background,http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/1830/rasmid.png] Don't fret precious I'm here Days and nights melted together recently for the red brute, it seemed like an eternity had crossed through him. 'They won't be found, they all leave!' Rage swelled inside the brute and he let out a snarling bark as he lunged forward at an invisible target. The brute was by no means insane, merely lonely and struggling to deal with the bundle of emotions that were nearing eruption. How else was the brute to react though? All that he had cared about seemed to be gone; Alas! Still he must remain strong, for now it was his opportunity to care for these lands and the few wolves that remained upon his territory. 'This land is mine,' the thought was sour within his skull. It seemed almost dream-like how his life had transformed; yet, the brute was thankful that no longer would he be alone. Or so he hoped. It had been nearly two weeks since he had vanished, rushed off to search for the two females that were most certainly dead by this point. And there was nothing he could do. Nothing would cure the emptiness that slowly gnawed at his bone, sucking the marrow from his life. Rasalas had suffered quite a bit with such abandonment. Now Aries was gone, and he had to take charge of lands that she had once dwelled upon. "Where are you?" the brute softly called out, seeming to ask the winds if they knew where she had ran off to. He was not ignorant though, the brute had a hunch that the female would not be returning to him. Or the lands that she had originally claimed. No matter how few wolves resided upon these lands now, it was still his job to protect them. 'I could not live with myself if something happened to them, they were counting on us to bring them refuge,' the brute's heart broke at the image of the wolves he had grown to call family dying. That would be his breaking point. Losing these lands would most surely be his own death. One could only stand having so much stolen from them in one lifetime. A strange sound echoed out into the world, summoning a creature to come tend to it. That wolf was him now more than ever. There was no other wolf upon these lands that had such a high power to be able to accept others upon these lands. "At last," the brute let a soft grin peek onto his muzzle and a gentle rhythm was set into his tail. Excitement grew within the red one as he turned to head in the direction the call had came from. The thought of more wolves joining this lonely desert pack excited him, then hunting would be easier. Maybe the wolves that did live here could actually survive. For now it seemed to essentially be him providing for everyone. He felt like the father to many adult, hungry pups; yet the brute would rather it be like that than himself be alone. Even if it meant he must provide for all the others until the end of his days. Rasalas was truly thankful to have the few wolves around that he did, they were his driving force that prevented the brute from snapping. Deep within his mind sin had been planted, and it gradually grew with the brute. Without the desire to aid others, where would the brute be? Certainly somewhere much darker than the desert, both physically and mentally. His pace quickened, longing to greet the others before they grew bored of these lands he now called home. 'What if they intend to claim these lands as their own?' The brute's golden orbs squeezed shut tightly for a moment. 'Then I shall die fighting for what is mine.' He attempted to shove such negativity from his mind, begging the gods above to grant him with a benevolent set of creatures. It took the brute a few moments before he even acknowledged the fact that it had been multiple wolves that had called out to him. A prance eagerly set itself within his step, and the brute's nares flared joyously accepting the scent that was gradually wafting towards them. At last, three small figures came into the brute's keen eyesight. Soon they grew into more formal shapes. Two were obviously wolves, and one was some other canine of sorts. Rasalas did not judge the small dog, for his mind was too overjoyed with hope. For once the outcome of a situation was dancing optimistically through his mind, however he knew not to appear to eager to the newcomers. After all, their intentions could be just as evil as the devil inside of his own soul. 'Trust should be earned, Rasalas.' Nodding to himself briefly, the brute turned attention back towards the silhouettes that were now quite close to him. At last, weary paws slowed and then stopped his pace. His features remained stoic, his golden eyes absorbing the appearances before them. Nodding his head slowly in greeting the brute opted to speak first. After all, he was an Alpha now, it was his duty to show his dominance and authority. Head held high between muscular shoulder blades, luckily for the red brute he had been doing quite a bit of physical labor recently having to support the pack by himself. Muscles had grown quite define beneath his furry russet pelt. "Greetings strangers," the brute offered a brief grin before resuming his emotionless posture. "I am Rasalas, Alpha of Ryala. I appreciate your summoning," the brute was quite thankful that others had called out for him. Anxiety settled in his lungs, making him feel as if he nearly could not breathe. The moment of truth lay before him, what would these foreigners do?

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A rare smile graced the brute's black lips as Calandra joined in with his cry for the alpha. He did not expect her cooperation, as she seemed very tense to call for the pack at all. Perhaps Anubis was more trusting of other wolves than she, or maybe it was the fact that she had been wandering in their pack lands for quite some time unnoticed and did not want to face the consequences. Anubis could relate with that, as he had done the same thing, albeit unknowingly, as a pup. Their pack had been a permanent intruder in the desert. And yet, the iranian brute wondered if, had they simply requested the alpha's approval to remain in the desert, they might have been able to say. It would have easily been because of their alphas' pigheadedness that the majority of the pack died. He would not put it past his parents to put their own pride above the well-being of the pack.

It was part of the reason that Osiris had had so many problems with following under Isis. While the alphas had demanded respect, she had simply requested it. Without that firm hand to guide them, the male pups had essentially free reign to do as they pleased. She was simply a supervisor to their antics. Anubis had gotten into far more trouble than he would have chosen for himself, but because Osiris wished to do so, he followed along like the lackey that he was.

When Calandra inquired as to whether he had always traveled with family, all he could do was nod mutely. It took him several seconds to bring an explanation to the forefront. "Growing up, it was always my brother and I. And then Amun joined up. I have never really been away from either of them," he explained, a soft whine mingling in his tone. He was concerned not only for the well-being of his brother, but also for his own sanity. Without Osiris, he was swimming in a sea of confusion. His brother had always been the dominant one of the pair. In fact, it had been a miracle that Osiris had allowed Anubis to live more than a month. Most pups with such a dominant streak would have prevented their siblings from feeding, particularly if the food was scarce. And yet Osiris had given him the gift of life in a way, and he could never truly repay his brother.

The sound of padded paw steps approaching brought Anubis to a rigid state. He had to remind himself to shrink back submissively; it had been so long since such behavior had been necessary that it was no longer second nature. Yet the approaching brute carried himself as an alpha, and so the iranian male needed to treat him as such. The brute greeted them kindly, much more kindly than he would have expected. He was not the first one to speak, rather Amun jumped ahead to stare straight in the brute's eyes.

"You're the alpha? Where is your pack?" Amun interjected accusingly, his beady eyes staring down the alpha warily. It was at this point that Anubis raised his head to thump Amun across the muzzle. He did not want to immediately get off on the wrong foot with this wolf. "I apologize, sir," he whispered, almost to the point of mumbling. With Calandra, he had been remotely at ease. Yet in the face of this wolf, he was skittish and wary. It was a complete turnabout of his personality, as authority tended to scare the iranian brute.

When Rasalas introduced himselve, he quickly flashed the wolves a bright smile in greeting. However, the words of the alpha seemed off. It was as if he was mourning as Anubis was; while many would not have noticed it, the iranian brute saw the look in the alpha's eyes that matched his own. He dipped his head to the alpha in respect, though the name of the pack rang foreign in his ears. "Ryala? Where is the pack called Zahir?" Anubis inquired with curiosity, raising his head back to face the alpha. It was then that he caught his blunder and dropped his head once more.

"Forgive me sir. I am called Anubis, and this is my friend, Amun. We have come to your desert in search of two wolves. Isis, my sister, at one point claimed to have headed to the desert pack to join. And Osiris, my brother, who disappeared deep in the caverns in Xisyn. There were landslides, you see, and by the time I dug out my brother, he had disappeared," the brute explained, all the while keeping his eyes locked on his front paws. He did not want to give this wolf any reason to see him as a threat. He knew it was common for males to become aggressive to one another over status, and he did not want to suffer for the sins of the remainder of his species. All he wanted was to locate his brother.

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Calandra listened intently as Anubis spoke of his siblings, and nodded, casting her gaze downwards. She envied him his tight bonds with his family, and the hope he had that his siblings were still alive. Calandra had certainty only in the deaths of her parents and other kin. She did not voice this subtle jealousy, but it was likely evident that she was a bit crestfallen; sadness would always dwell in her heart for the loss of her family.

Before she could respond in any way the scent of a new wolf entered her leathery nares. She turned to face the oncoming brute, and noted his posture, and the change in Anubis. She couldn't help but feel his nervousness - did he know this alpha wolf? Was he to be feared? Calandra dropped almost pittifully into a submissive position, her legs coiling beneath her russet belly so she appeared in a crouch. Her tail was curled underneath her body, ears disappearing into her black scruff. Somehow she managed to look smaller than Anubis, her submission perhaps over exaggerated. Calandra had heard of wolves that treated females as a lower class, judged based on gender alone, she hoped sincerely that this was not that kind of pack.

He introduced himself and it was kind - a sigh of relief tumbled from Calandra's lungs, her eyes closing briefly. As she opened them she choked down a gasp of surprise: Trout was circling around the Alpha Rasalas, sniffing at him and seemingly judging his presence.

"He looks alright to me." The black wolf called to Calandra, whose eyes were darting from each individual to see if they had heard him. His ghostliness was still not confirmed for her, and while she was certain Anubis and Amun could not see him, she did not know about Rasalas.

After a few moments passed, and Amun had jutted in with a comment, Anubis correcting him and carrying on with some questions and his own introduction, Calandra squeeked out her own name. "I'm-" Her voice came in a hoarse whisper, throat dry from her nerves. Clearing her throat gently, her eyes closing painfully at how silly she must appear, she corrected her speech. "I'm Calandra. I've travelled alone for some time, and now am aiding Anubis and Amun in their search for their lost kin." While this development in her life was brand new, decided not moments before, she figured it was a good idea to mention it so that she had some association with the two canids that she was now with.

Trout was still standing beside Rasalas, but at a sharp glance from Calandra he suddenly appeared beside her, also crouching. "What? It's not like they can see me, or even hear me." He grumbled at her irritably, though got no verbal response. Calandra didn't want these wolves to think her crazy by seeing her talking to 'no one'.

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[atrb=background,http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/1830/rasmid.png] Rasalas was taken slightly off guard by the greeting he received from the other two wolves, both of them seemed highly submissive to him. Head cocked to the side in slight confusion, none of the other members had ever treated him with quite so much respect. A mournful, yet sincere grin, slunk over his maw once more. He appreciated their actions, but was unsure how to react to it. "Please," he spoke to them, "I appreciate your respect, you may resume a slightly more comfortable stance if you'd like." He hoped that they understood what he meant. Sure, they didn't need stand tall and dominant, but something more comfortable than the crouched little bundles that they were. 'Oh, if Aries was here,' the brute turned his muzzle to the ground for a moment. His attempts to clear his mind were feeble, but would work enough for now. After all, these wolves may want to join his diminishing group. An irked grunt escaped from Rasalas at the jackal's comment that seemed spat out so harshly. Rage fired within his brain, the red brute had always been quick to anger; however, he knew it must be controlled right now. There were three of them, and one of him. Yellow orbs narrowed upon the smaller dog, and in a rather stoic tone the brute responded to him, "They are in another area of these lands." Carefully the brute attempted to nurture his anger into disappearing, after all the wolf that was with the smaller canine eagerly jumped in for his friend's sudden comment. And that was when the flood of questions erupted from the wolf's maw, Rasalas was slightly pleased that at least he was not going to have to pry things from these creatures. They seemed fairly open about their present situation. "Zahir? They have been gone for some time now. These lands were nearly barren of wolves prior to Ryala joining together here," eyes swept the desert that was now his home. It amazed him a bit that he had come to live here, and after such a short amount of time as well. Sorrow overwhelmed the Alpha, he surely understand what this creature, Anubis, was feeling. After all, it had been several months since the disappearance of Algethi and Adhara. The drive to let out a pained whine was overwhelming, but the brute attempted to focus on these newcomer's issues rather than his own. It seemed that his issues were important to no one but himself, and they would have to stay that way for the time being. "I am sorry to tell you Anubis, but I have met neither an Isis nor an Osiris in my time upon these lands. However, I will certainly keep my eyes open for them. The desert tends to separate families," the brute's voice trailed off aimlessly for a moment before silence took over the small group. Hopefully Anubis and Amun would note the sincerity of his words. They were upset that their loved ones were missing for several days, maybe a week from how it sounded; imagine if they had been gone for several months. The brute's gaze settled back upon the small female, he hoped that she would relieve herself from that small crouch she had placed herself in. "It is a pleasure to meet you all, Anubis, Calandra," the brute turned his attention towards the jackal once more. "And you as well, Amun. I understand the pain you're feeling at the loss of those close to you. Let's forget our initial exchange of words, if I stumble across them I would be more than happy to send them to you." Rasalas smiled weakly, hoping that his sincerity could be heard. The brute was not exactly certain what to say next, anticipation and anxiety had taken over his insides. These lands had been so lonesome recently, no longer did he truly have any creatures very close to him. Anubis should be thankful to still have Amun, Rasalas had been left with not a single soul. He turned his gaze to the sky, clearing his head of the torment building within itself.

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As the alpha of the desert instructed them to stand back up, so did the brute obey. Anubis lifted his gaze to right below the eyes of the male, unable to truly bring himself to look the brute in the eyes. The red male was larger than him and more powerful; why would he dare to act remotely challenging toward him? He sighed quietly, though not loud enough for the others to hear, as Rasalas responded to Amun's nasty quip. He was still reeling from the fact that the jackal dared to address an alpha in such a way. While his parents may have tolerated such behavior in small doses from Amun, this wolf was not like them, and he certainly seemed to be angry about such an abrasive comment. Anubis flinched back from the alpha when he spoke to Amun, though his words were much less harsh than the iranian male expected. He supposed that the male would lay into him later if he did, in fact, take him back to his siblings.

The mood of the black-tipped brute sunk drastically as Rasalas informed him that not only was Osiris not with the pack, but Isis had never made it there, either. The only consolation was that he would not have to deal with Irirangi. That wolf had scared him senseless, and especially the ghost that followed her around. "The desert does not just separate families, sir. It kills them," he muttered softly, still not having come to terms with the death of his pack. He glanced up briefly to meet the brute's eyes before dropping his head once more. "Forgive me, sir. That was out of line. I have had some poor encounters with the previous pack here, although it was nobody's fault but my alphas'," he explained hurriedly, hoping to avoid angering the alpha once more. He did not need this wolf on his bad side. At this point, he would do nearly anything to keep the alpha happy so that he could get further assistance in locating his brother and Isis.

Rasalas's kindness was more than the iranian male ever expected. Amun had, very smartly, remained quiet throughout the exchange. It was in their best interest for him to keep his muzzle closed at the moment, for it seemed that he only had negative comments to make. Anubis wanted to keep on good terms with the alpha, which is what spurred his offer. "Sir, if you would like, Amun and I would be honored to hunt for your pack. Consider it our thanks for your kindness and for your understanding," he offered with a humble dip to the alpha. While he no longer held himself in such a lowly position, he remained fully submissive to the alpha. "It is the least I can do. I sincerely hope that Isis and Osiris will turn up in time."

Amun opened his mouth to protest Anubis's offer, but Anubis head-butted the jackal in the side before he had the chance. Turning to his companion, he hissed, "You are not going to make him angry. He may be the only chance that we have. Are you clear?" He would not allow anything to jeopardize the chances of finding his family, Amun included. The jackal nodded his head. "Of course, Anubis. I apologize." The words where slightly forced, but it was better than the alternative of no apology at all. Amun turned to the alpha and mimicked his friend's posture. "Alpha, I apologize. My comments were misguided." There was more sincerity in Amun's words toward Rasalas than to Anubis, but that was how he wanted it to be. Anubis would forgive him regardless. Rasalas was a completely different situation.

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At the alphas request she relaxed, rising to a seated position, though kept her ears down along the back of her neck. So this brute wasn't one for overly submissive posture - that was a relief as sitting crumpled up like that was rather uncomfortable, especially with legs as long as Calandra's. However when Amun dared question the brute the maned female was on edge once more. If there was a fight, she would run. Being injured and homeless in the desert had only one certain outcome - death. She would not die because the little canine couldn't hold his tongue. Her eyes narrowed at him a bit, but Rasalas answered smoothly, and Anubis apologized in the jackals stead.

There was then some explanation of purpose by Anubis, and an exchange of promises to inform them if the lost family members were found. Calandra listened to the conversation and let out a soft, sympathetic whine as Anubis spoke of the harshness of the sands. Giving a slow nod she turned her gaze upwards to look at the empty sky, then back to Rasalas. "I too lost my family to the desert. The unforgiving nature of life here does not mesh well with sickness." Her expression was hard, as if weathered by this experience. Trout nudged at Calandra gently, buffeting her shoulder in comfort. She moved to return the gesture, and realized how unnatural it would look and corrected her action, opting to feign an itch on her flank. After righting herself, and giving a short shake to her fur she frowned slightly as Anubis offered his skills as a hunter to Rasalas. Calandra wasn't so sure about that. Sure she was happy to help him find his family members as it gave her some sort of purpose, but hunt for these wolves simply because they were kind? She was a poor team player as it was, due to lack of experience, and wouldn't have minded hunting with only Anubis and Amun, but for an alpha? She didn't want to make a fool of herself.

What other option was there? She had said she was aiding Anubis. Trout had caught on to her uneasiness. "Come on, don't be a whelp. You can do this." She stared at him for a moment, as if she were looking across the sands into their endless expanses. She'd only ever hunted with a group as a yearling, and even then it was only once or twice. Better to learn now than never to learn at all.

"I could also aid in a hunt, though I offer no expertise in the matter. I've been alone for some time, and hunting in a team is all but foreign to me." She looked to the Iranian male and his companion, wondering what they would think of such a confession. Trout offered another gentle nudge of encouragement, his black snout pressing into her flank. At least she had one wolf here who had faith in her, these others didn't know better, and likely assumed she was as skilled as any wolf at pack hunting. While she lacked confidence the thought of fresh game - large game - made her stomach twist in anticipation. She wasn't so sure what hunting for Rasalas would accomplish, other than gain his gratitude. Would he want them to stay and join his pack? Surely that wouldn't suit Anubis and Amun if they were searching for their family members. Unless they intended to stay here and wait to see if Isis showed up, like she had claimed. Cal shook her head, ears flapping to release a small cloud of dust. This was all to confusing. Her life had been simple, albeit a bit strange, before meeting these wolves. She and Trout had been just fine on their own, well mostly fine. Just mostly hungry.

Ooc: I'm sorry this took so long and is sort of rambley! I figured I would post something just to keep this thread going!