Vale Alvers's Story

It had been way too early to be dragged out of one's room, and book, by a seven year old with a questing lust who also apparently had no idea just what 4 a.m. meant. But nonetheless, the little girl had managed to pester the gamma wolf into taking her out into the territory at 4-in-the-fricken-morning, which Renmy was still fuming about, crouched down a little ways away from the shore to the wide stream Vale had discovered while they were out trekking. She had her elbows resting on her knees, her chin in one palm as she watched the little one. It wasn't so much that the older wolf was mad about missing sleep, she was usually awake on her own accord anyway (though didn't really know why herself), but it was more having to reface the little snake so early.

Vale was watching the water oh so curiously, her mouth opened partially in the form of a tiny 'o' with her hands folded behind her back for the moment being, her gaze hopping and sweeping over the water and surrounding earth. She then pressed her lips back together, a wide, cheerful smile replacing her previous expression. She plodded down to the shoreline to get a closer look, and a small hiccup escaped her lips as she leaned over the water. She then took a step forward, her leg stiff before she hopped nimbly onto the first stone in the water. She teetered a bit, her arms spread straight out and wobbling slightly as she tried to keep her balance, hopping from stone to stone.

Renmy looked up, her gaze snapping to the white-haired girl, aghast. "N-no, Vale, don't- those rocks are bloody slippery, you could slip!" The red-haired girl whined, quickly shifting to a standing position and taking off down to the stream herself. Renmy really didn't want to get wet, but the little pup was getting further and further away. "-Eh…nh." She muttered uncertainly, rubbing the back of her head as she tried to make a quick decision. By the time Vale got to the third rock, Renmy sprang into action. And by sprang, she stepped forward onto the first rock, tried to make it to the second only to find that the spray from the water buffeting the rocks got under her sneaker which then caused her to slip off, successfully scraping her leg on the way down into the water. But on the bright side, she didn’t make that big of a splash despite her awkward form going down.

Resurfacing, she spat out the water that forced its way into her mouth, her hand immediately rising up to her head to check for any more cuts or bruises. To answer her own question, she let out a soft, "Owww...." only managing a squeak. Meanwhile, Vale had crouched down on her own rock, her hands resting on her knees as she gave Renmy a big, innocent smile. "Wasn't that hypociwhat-ical? I did use that correctly, right?" Her face then donned a curious/questioning feature, her mouth open just a bit and her eyes big and searching the very much soaked face of her friend. Renmy's hair was sticking to her face and forehead, and she quickly sloshed her way out of the water, Vale hopping on the stones behind her. "
Yeah, I guess you did… but it's- hypocritical. We should go home… now." She said the last word a bit sternly, and Vale merely smiled and nodded, wriggling her hand into the red-headed gamma's soaked one.

Renmy sighed, running her free hand along the left side of her face, also shifting her hair back from the skin. The two quickly headed back to the ranch house, which thankfully it wasn't a far walk. The sun was just peeking up from the mountains, warming up the surrounding area a bit. That much was a comfort to Renmy, but it was a far cry from actually getting her dry. So the fem appeared at the front door to the house, completely soaked to the skin and sopping wet all over. The sun provided a lot more light, though it really didn’t help much of anything other than enhance the scenery. But Renmy really didn't have time to dwell on that. She fumbled with the doorknob for a few moments before managing to get the door open, and Vale hopped her way inside, letting go of the older wolf’s hand. However, pausing, the young girl tilted her head up, almost seemingly to sniff the air, before shooting off down the halls.

"W-what, NO, oh geh, you've... yo- have to be kidding...." Her voice was naught but a frantic groan as she began to run off after the girl before she got herself into more trouble.

Vale skidded to a stop in front of the meeting room's door, reaching up and grasping the handle before turning it to the side, swinging the door wide open and peering inside. Her eyes rested on the pretty sunrise that was just in her view from one of the windows, and another massive smile lit up her small little face. Her gaze quickly flickered to the alpha, and she shot over to his desk, leaning up on it with her small hands scrabbling along the wood surface towards the keen little shiny bottle. "What is this? Are you drinking it?? I wanna try some!" Quick as a whip, her index finger was sliding along the mouth of the container and back into her own. She scrunched up her face immediately, and brought a hand to her throat, coughing and sticking her tongue out. "What ITH that thtuthf!? Blehc." She made a mock gag, pointing to her open mouth with her tongue still out in the open, thus causing her speech to be slurred and incomplete, a somewhat sort of frown on her face. Though she was just as quickly caught up in the new shiny object that suddenly grabbed her attention, just sitting there right by the alpha’s arm like it owned Vale’s entire world.

Her hands were already up on the sturdy piece of furniture once more, her tongue returned as she had seemingly and utterly forgotten the bad taste in her mouth, pushing herself up until her legs were dangling a good foot or more off the ground, positioning her weight a bit and leaning forward to the gun. Her curious little wandering Vale hands quickly met the metal and enclosed around the barrel, dragging it back to her body where it would be much more convenient to reach. She then allowed herself to drop down, gun in hand, before quickly prodding every part of it. She turned it around, looking straight down the muzzle, her finger resting on the keen little trigger. “What is this?” The little child asked Anvar curiously, turning the object around once more and aiming it right at the alpha. Though she didn’t realize it, almost all of her focus was caught with the little designs and the overall gleaming shininess.

It was pretty much a foreign object to her, and she pressed down on the trigger curiously, listening intently to the little click and small clunk that notified the user that it was empty and needed to be reloaded.

Meanwhile, Renmy was still running through the house, just coming up to the hall where the meeting room was located, having followed the hyper-powered child by scent, as the darn slippery girl had gotten out of her sight with her quick little legs practically at the beginning. However, with her figure continually dripping water along the floor, and not to mention her shoes had a good deal of liquid sloshing around her feet and leaking out through the holes and material, it caused her to slip as she had stopped abruptly before turning around with some of that previous momentum left over. She went sliding straight across the floor, quickly approaching a nice sleek table with a very expensive vase on it.
"Oh bloody hell!" She yelped, colliding right into the table, the vase shifting from the surface slipping right out from under it, thus launching it just a bit forward. Renmy managed to worm her way north on her stomach, grasping desperately for the decorative piece. She barely managed to catch it and she let out a sigh of relief as the table met the floor with a crash. "...." She then looked at the vase, her right eyebrow suddenly arching. "WHY DO WE EVEN HAVE THIS THING!?"

A small beam of light from the hallway entered a dark room through a narrowly opened door. The faint light seemed quickly absorbed in the darkened room, revealing a dresser and a bookshelf before fading away. Completely in the blackness was a medium sized wooden bed, piled high with tangled sheets. A large form lay curled up on top of the sheets, her bushy tail curled around her body and covering her nose. Her chest lightly moved up and down, ears flicking as she gave a small whine in response to some dream. Abruptly, a soundless snarl contorted the wolf's long muzzle, exposing fierce fangs. Her leg twitched a couple times and she gave a couple deep huffs before settling back to her former relaxed position.

Suddenly, her dark ears flickered, catching the sounds of a door slamming open, a little girl's voice. One yellow eye slowly opened, observing the quiet room before scrunching closed again as the large wolf shifted into a deep stretch. Settling back on the pile of sheets, she yawned, sharp teeth gleaming even in the dark room.Cyra hopped down from the bed, her large paws making a soft thud on the carpet before she glided out of the room. As she pushed the door open, a loud bang resounded from downstairs. This was soon followed by yelling. It was Renmy alright.

She quietly strode down the stairs, sniffing the various small puddles that dotted the floor. They lead her right to the study. Not surprisingly, Renmy was laying on the slightly wet floor, a vase in her outstretched arms and its table on the ground beside her. 'You okay?' Cyra inquired, her tail still and straight out behind her as she sniffed the girl, quickly determining she had no new injuries, at least nothing major. 'At this rate, we will have to superglue everything to the ground.' She considered Renmy with a wry look in her eye. She roughly nudged the girl's shoulder several times with her nose, wanting her to get up.

When Cyra was satisfied, she gave a final wag of her bushy tail and lazily walked into the study, quickly taking everything in. Anvar was sitting behind his desk, the light from the rising sun lighting his face. She noted a bottle of whiskey on the desk, nearly half empty, not far from where little Vale was busy playing with a gun. Cyra's ears went back reflexively, a look of concern in her eyes before she noted the repeating click that signaled the gun was empty. Still standing in the doorway, Cyra's eyes went emphatically to the whiskey bottle before landing on Anvar's face.

'That should probably be put away before...' her eyes flickered to the girl, "does a taste test." As she ambled over to a couch on the left of the desk, she mumbled, 'Don't get why you are drinking in the morning, anyway.' She hopped up at one end of the couch and sat, watching Vale play with the gun.

Ophis followed far behind the others, making sure no one was catching up to the pride. It would be easy for her to escape if they did catch up, seeing how she was a cheetah, one of the fastest felines in the world. Or so she believes.

Stepping near her leader, she looked around for any sign, anything that may help them. Food would be the best sign of them all. Her stomach growls quietly at the thought, whimpering for food or water. ‘Below, in the forest, we might be able to find food. I know some of us haven’t eaten since the incident. Food is essential and since they are gone for the while we can quickly eat and get going. Plus, where there is prey, there is water. C’mon' Ophis nods, her ears twitching a bit at the slightest noise. She turns gracefully, her steps even and spaced, normal thing for a cat. Scanning the area, she saw the bushes shift, as something moved within the branches and leaves. Lowering herself down beneath the high grass, she stared waiting...

Suddenly Her sharp, yellow eyes darted to the right, as a large hare raced from bushes, hoping to hide and escape the dangerous beast. Which wouldn't be possible. Ophis's legs kicked off, and darted after the rodent. Within seconds, She easily caught up, and with a snap of her jaw, she caught the hare with ease, breaking its fragile bones.
Tasting the familiar taste of iron, she pawed her way back to the group, pleased with her catch.
‘We’ll wait here. The wolves don’t matter. If it becomes a problem,’ Her ears twitched, and she frowns. 'Wolves...?' She snarls quietly, dropping her prize to the ground with out a care. She didnt like that word, defiantly when they were on the run. They had so many problems already... ‘Yeah, but my pride is first.’ Ophis could feel her eyes soften, and she smiles a bit, which was hardly noticeable. Nudging the large hare towards her, she smiles. "This is why you're an excellent leader..." She said. "Ill follow you every step of the way!"

--
Ulrica combed her sleek fingers through her long, ivory colored hair, and stepped out of her room.
She stretched and yawns quietly. It has been a couple of hours, and she finally rose from the dead. Its actually been awhile since she was up so early, so she wanted to get back into that routine, before it become a habit of hers to sleep in. "....." Yawning once more, she wanders around wondering if anyone rose awake as well. Obviously the alpha, Anvar, but who else- "What IS that stuff!? Bleck" Her keen ears, turned to the noise, and the corner of her mouth tilted upwards. Maybe she wasn't the only one awake after all. 'The young ones are lively...' The female wolf thought knowingly, Peeking into the study, she steps in quietly, and saw the interaction between the pup and the others. Honestly, it was very cute...
Resisting the urge to laugh, she bows her head respectfully towards the alpha, and waved kindly to the others.

It wasent like her to talk, and say "good morning" but she meant no harm. Luckily for her, the pack should have known that by now. Or so she hoped. She never was a talker, and was always so mute, well most of the time. Looking around, she glanced at the blank gun and looked at both Cyra and Anvar. 'Don't get why you are drinking in the morning, anyway.' Hearing the girl's mumble, she smiles softly. "Well this is Anvar we're talking about..." She spoke quietly, emphasizing on the word "Is". "Besides he is the alpha..." She finished, leaning against the wall.

To no surprise to the alpha, the figuire standing in the doorway was in fact the little pup who's curiousity could kill over half the cats in the world. Her eyes rested on something through the window to which Anvar paid no attention too his focus was on Vale, and as a massive smile lit up her small little face he himself couldn't help but to smile with. Her gaze quickly flickered to him acknowledging he did infact exist and out of no where with her childish, erratic energy sprinted over to his desk, leaning up on it, with some difficulties, with her small hands scrabbling along the wood surface towards his whiskey. "What is this? Are you drinking it?? I wanna try some!" And before Anvar could explain it wasn't for children, those little hands of hers had snatched up the bottle while her index finger was sliding along the mouth of the container and back into her own. She scrunched up her face immediately, and brought a hand to her throat, coughing and sticking her tongue out. "What ITH that thtuthf!? Blehc." She made a mock gag causing a bout of laughter from him, pointing to her open mouth with her tongue still out in the open, a sort of frown on her face. Anvar took the bottle back from the little pup, smile still on his face. "It's called whiskey and don't worry when you're older, and maybe the alpha one day, you'll learn to like it." He remarked in a calm tone.

He noticed her eyes focussing on something else and once againer hands were already up on the sturdy piece of furniture once more, her tongue returned into her mouth, pushing herself up again her hands made towards Retrobution. Her curious little wandering Vale hands quickly met the metal and enclosed around the barrel, dragging it back to her body as Anvar merely continued to watch, intrigued by her rection to his gun. She then dropped her little frame down, gun in hand, before quickly prodding every part of it. She turned it around, looking straight down the muzzle, making the alpha bite his lower lip as he was grateful he had kept it unloaded as her finger resting on the keen little trigger. “What is this?” The little child asked Anvar curiously, turning the object around once more and aiming it right at the alpha. Though she didn’t realize it, almost all of her focus was caught with the dangerous weapon that she was oblivious too.

She pressed down on the trigger curiously, Damn I'm glad I made this room child safe with her around he thought, a feeling of relief that he kept the ammunition to his gun locked away in the desk, she was listening intently to the little click and small clunk that notified the user that it was empty and needed to be reloaded. Clearing his throat to get her attention he looked her in her large eyes, his smile still on his lips. "That my little princess is called a gun but this one has a name, Retrobution." He paused so that she could take it in before he carried on. "It was my father's and when he..." He was interupted as his ears picked up a body hitting the floor followed by a "WHY DO WE EVEN HAVE THIS THING!?" It was no doubt Renmy the pups 'social worker', Anvar couldn't help but to bring his right hand to his face, shaking his head slightly, after a second or two of this he began to carry on his sentance. "When he died, it became mine." The memory of his father's death was still caused a sharp pain in his heart and left a bitter feeling when it subsided. "If you want I can teach you how to use it, that is though if a little princess like you would want to know how to use a big old gun like that." The bitter feeling subsided as a strange paternal feeling crept into him but was cut short when his ears once again picked up movement just outside the door

A wolf imeddiately entered the study and despite it being a member of the canine family he knew it was Cyra. Her eyes first went to him, then his bottle of whiskey and finally to the pup playing with the doubled barrelled magnum, ears slanted down while her eyes shone with concern, causing a feeling of slight amusement to Anvar. She seemed to relax when a little when it became obvious the gun wasn't loaded. Still standing in the doorway, Cyra's eyes went emphatically to the whiskey bottle before landing on Anvar's face. 'That should probably be put away before...' her eyes flickered to the girl, "does a taste test." Causing a low chuckle to come from his throat. "Too late my little princess has already tried it bu I don't think I'm going to make an alcoholic out of her just yet." He smiled that rather unsettling, to a normal human anyway, wolfish grin of his, she then ambled to the couch and mumbled something which even with his good hearing he still couldn't quite pick out the words and began to watch Vale play.

In a moment of them watching her another member entered the room, Ulrica, Anvar met her gaze as she nodded to him, giving her a warm smile, he knew she was a shy one and didn't hold it against her that she doesn't just say hello like most people would. She walked over to a seat close to the other beta and must have heard what she mumbled as she gave a soft smile to her. "Well this is Anvar we're talking about..." She spoke quietly, making it clear that she was emphasizing on the word "Is". "Besides he is the alpha..." She finished, leaning against the wall deciding she wasn't going to sit, Anvar let out another wolfish grin turning his attention to Ulrica. "You know I've always liked you Ulrica.... You get me." He almost cackled bur held it in, he wasn't being mean about her comment he just made a joke over a lot of things, you could say it was a defence mechanism of his and you'd be half right. "Alright I'm going to be a bit serious....I know scary right. Anyway I hope you both would remember what day it is but I'll forgive you if you don't it's not like it effects either of you really." His voice grew seriously, although only slightly. "Anyway I'll be leaving you two in full charge of the pack today when you go for patrol soon." He shooked his head at their surprise. "Now don't be like that I trust both of you with my hide no matter what the situation is and besides you both still owe me for these." His tone grew back to it's joker like ways as he pointed to the various scars that covered his skin.

"Would you keep it down. You're not the only people here." An irritated voice spoke up, revealing it to be Brandin. Wow it's busier than usual in here, he thought surprised at the multi-coloured eyed werekin. "Well maybe if you stopped taking lessons from Sleeping Beauty and took a page out of my book you'd already be up and doing something productive but now you are and guess what you're going on patrol soon." His smile faded, out of all the members of his pack he liked Brandin, or the Sleaping Beauty wannabe as Anvar often dubbed him, the least. His attitude towards the rest of them was rather cold at best and down right hostile at worst. "And besides you don't need any beauty sleep, what ever God exist knows it won't help you." He smirked, getting up and stretching before taking the bottle and downed the rest of his drink, placing it back down when he finished. He walked over to Vale, who was still engrossed in the gun, and picked her up placing her on his left shoulder so she was sitting down. He turned around to the betas his smile returning. "Will you two beauties round up everyone and take them on patrol?" They replied and done what he wished, he waited till all of them had left the house, watching them through the window while Vale remained on his shoulder. "Vale, would you like to come to a special place of mine?" He asked, looking up into her little face.

Renmy's figure shook slightly, the adrenaline from the slide still coursing through her nerves and networks, the vase wobbling in her clutches. She let out a few more small breaths, realizing once again that her hair was plastered all over her face- something that was an extreme irritation. She had brought up her knees just a bit for a more comfortable position, though she still wasn't completely comfortable with getting up. But then Cyra decided to wander over and check on her, making a snide comment on the side.

'At this rate, we will have to superglue everything to the ground.'

Renmy's eyes traveled over to where her fellow wolf was standing, and she let out a huff of breath before replying carefully. "I... really, don't think that you'd be able- to er, find enough glue for that anyway. Besides, I'd probably forget and then get my hand stuck somewhere or, uh, other." She didn't expect Cyra to then proceed in the act of prodding her with her nose, something that made the red-headed gamma jump ever so slightly in surprise, her hands slipping off the vase for a second, and then fumbling to re-catch it before it fell over and cracked or something.

She shot a small glare at Cyra as she abandoned her and walked into the alpha's office. However, she didn't get to keep that train of thought going, as she soon saw Ulrica, the second female beta (which she didn't understand- having two females for the betas, but shrugged it off anyway), completely ignore her presence and walk straight into the study. The fem pressed her lips together, blinking quietly. I... guess that's a good thing. One less person I have to explain myself to. She thought to herself a bit strained, trying to console her conscience.

Carefully, she slid backwards on her knees, attempting to prop herself up so she could sit down. In the process, she distractedly had the thought of her form representing a worm like in the cartoons moving. After another shiver, Ren let out a collected sigh, glad that she had made it thus far. But once more, another member of the pack wandered over to her.

It was none other than Cain, and she clutched the vase close to her chest at the sound of his voice asking if she was alright. She nibbled her lip a bit nervously before replying to him. "I'm fine. Er, well, as fine as I can be at any one particular moment in time...." Her face suddenly whitened as she realized just how many people had gotten up and looked over her, which meant that she must have also woken them up.

And as if to confirm her suspicion, Brandin stormed mutely over, picking up the table and replacing it against the wall. The girl's lower lip trembled unseen, and the two-hued eyes seemed, at least to her, to bore into her face and figure before the owner of them stooped over her and practically pried the vase from her trembling fingers, replacing it on the table. Almost as soon as her hands were free from the object, her left one shot up to her face and pulled back the hair sticking annoyingly onto her skin and poking her eyes. The right one clutched her right thigh lightly, her eyes straying over to Cain's feet to distract herself from Brandin's wrath.

"You woke me up, Renmy."

And her face had just begun to return to color too. The red-headed gamma remained utterly silent, crossing her arms one in front of the other loosely, she peered up at him, but his gaze rested on Cain now before he shuffled into the alpha's office. Renmy once more bit her lower lip before looking up at Cain's face and reached for his hand to assist her in getting up. She'd probably slip again, no matter what the odds might be, so her damp and clammy hand met his warm one, and she pulled herself up once she noted he had braced himself a bit. Or at least she hoped that that was what he was doing. Man, would that ever be a calamity if he should tumble down with her onto the floor if he hadn't been paying attention to what she herself had been doing.




The little pup scrunched up her face, glancing at Anvar with her right eye squinted and her left eyebrow raised. "I don't think I could ever like this yucky water stuff. And I don't want to be an alpha, it's too much work." She put her hands on her hips, and shook her head resolutely, the gun still in her hand. As the older wolf explained to her just what she was handling, she scanned his face warily. She didn't particularly like being called princess, but she let it slide, and didn't tell anyone about it either. It was mostly just the alpha who called her that anyway.

"Ret- yeah, uhm, I can't... I don't think I can say tha- Retruo... Re...." Once more she shook her head, clutching the gun tightly as she continued to fidget with it as he paused with the crash coming from outside the room. Vale didn't pay it much mind, already knowing it was probably Renmy. Though, she did take a second to peer out the door, though couldn't really see anything anyway.

"When he died, it became mine." Vale looked up innocently, still not understanding the full technicalities of how death worked. "I think that's sad. Why do people... die, Anvar?" The child's eyes always grew at least a little bit wider whenever she asked a question. Her features picked up though when he said he'd teach her how to use such a dangerous, although again still unbeknownst to her, weapon. In reality, the girl would probably end up causing some serious damage to both object and person alike if not warned properly about such a thing.

She looked over as she heard Cyra enter the room, and grinned brightly again, flailing her little arm in greeting to another member of her family. She watched as the girl in wolf form flickered her ears this way and that as she communicated and accentuated such speech with different facial features and stances before finally resting down on the couch and allowing a mumble of sorts to permeate the air. Then Ulrica decided to join the group and Vale gave her a sideways expression of greeting, soon losing interest in her as she didn't speak often.

She could vaguely hear titters in her range of hearing as people made talk out in the hall in response to Renmy's crash, although Vale was fairly unawares of what actually happened out there. But she was captured in the shininess of the gun, her attention recalled and refocused to it. That is, until Brandin came in too. The little girl whirled around and pointed the gun right at him, pulling down on the trigger. She beamed up at him cheerfully, the click coming quickly after the action, and then the thunk a half second later. Sure, he was a little scary, but she wasn't really too nervous what with all the other members in the room as well. Besides, it was in her nature not to be phased too much by a more intimidating pack member. Or at least as long as she was a pup, she'd have to learn about those things eventually, but that wasn't until later.

Her arm dropped once more, and she looked back up at Anvar as he began to comment on a Disney character or other, and she made a revolted face as he downed the rest of the nasty liquid. He then began to talk about duties and such and the child quickly lost interest in the room and gun, replacing it on his desk.

Cyra gave a small huff, amusement plain on her face when Anvar informed her that Vale had already gotten a taste. Cyra wasn't surprised at all, but sometimes the girl's intense curiosity concerned her. What would happen when she got into something more dangerous that a taste of whiskey or an unloaded gun? And even worse, what if none of the pack was able to get the pup out of it?

Ulrica entered the room just as Cyra made her comment. Of course, Ulrica had to make a comment of her own. Cyra's ears went back slightly, her eyes narrowing for a moment at her fellow beta. Though it was a true statement, and even one that Cyra agreed with, she resented it when it came from one who she deemed a rival. Though Cyra and Ulrica were equal in authority, Cyra was always wary of any attempt by Ulrica to gain more authority, imagined or not. At Anvar's grinning comment, Cyra somehow got the idea that the alpha was beginning to favor Ulrica over her, though it was said in a joking manner. Her ears flattened back more severely, eyes again narrowing at the beta, as a soundless growl rumbled in her throat.

This was quickly cut off by the alpha's next statement. Cyra gave a sneeze, and her expression instantaneously changed, one ear straight up with the other cocked back in almost playful manner. With her head tilted to one side, she seemed curious and attentive to the Alpha's words. She was only slightly surprised that he was sending them out on patrol without him, but she took the responsibility seriously. When he pointed at his various scars, one side of Cyra's lip curled up, tail wagging playfully as she grinned back at him in her own way.

Suddenly, Brandin came in, grumpy as usual. Cyra merely turned her grin to him, happy at the thought of getting out of the house, even if it was just to go on patrol. She gave another amused huff as Vale "shot" him with the gun. She paid little attention to Anvar's banter with Brandin, laying her head down on her massive paws.

When Anvar told the betas to round everyone up for patrol, more of an order than a request, Cyra jumped off the couch and strode out of the room, hurrying a bit to beat Ulrica. Without breaking stride, she communicated to Renmy and Cain. "Time to go on patrol. Renmy, I think Anvar is planning on watching Vale, so you can come." Usually, Renmy didn't go on patrol with them, already having her hands full with Vale, but perhaps she would decide to this time.

Not pausing to reflect on this, Cyra continued through the lower floor in search of Cassius, pausing a moment at the stairs to listen for any movement upstairs before heading outside. Pausing to the right of the door, one foot held up as she sniffed the ground, she searched for his scent. She soon picked it up, along with Vale and Renmy's from earlier and the older scents of the whole pack. She followed his scent around the house, nose going low to the ground every few steps.

After a moment, she caught sight of him lying in the grass, obviously asleep. Cyra didn't question why he was out here, but instead, joyfully bounded over to him. She jabbed his shoulder sharply with her nose and pawed at him several times until he woke up. When he awoke, she bounded backwards once as playfully as a young puppy, her front legs on the ground with her rump high in the air and her tail wagging fiercely. "We're going on patrol. Come on!"

She ran back to the front steps, waiting until everyone that was going was ready, and, running off beside Ulrica, quickly settled into a fast but efficient lope with her tail lazily wagging as they headed off on patrol.

Renmy let out a relieved breath as Cain was sturdy to pull her up. Though it only struck her as a brutal blow when Cyra informed her that they would be going out on a patrol. She couldn't possibly go out there in her current state, but she was pretty much being forced to because of those two prissy boys. She couldn't possibly expect to be allowed to stay behind what with two of their pack already out of commission. She'd catch a cold, or slip, or fall into a ditch, or in a hidden crevasse, or into a tree, or get caught between two rocks and twist her ankle and then have to have somebody help her out, then it'd be entirely that much worse, because she'd get stuck with Vale at the house because she couldn't go out, or Oh gosh, I have got to get out of that. Or at least get dry, but then I'll have to take the extra time....

During that whole horrible menagerie of possible outcomes because of her morning dip, her facial expression just kept getting worse and worse, from blank to slightly worried, to disgruntled and then absolutely horrified and confused. "I-I just need to go and get d-dried up, I'll probably just CatchYouGuysLaterOrSomethingI'mGoingToGoNow, Don'tWaitUp!!" She made a sheepish attempt at a noncommittal grin, and then disappeared down one of the halls towards one of the bathrooms, leaving a small trail of faint puddles behind her.

With a huge sigh, she carefully stepped onto the tile flooring, measuring each footstep carefully so she wouldn't slip and wind herself or something. Renmy cringed quietly as all new thoughts of pain and falling flooded into her mind. With a sideways glance towards the mirror to review her reflection, she quickly leaned over some cabinets, prying the doors open and rummaging around for a towel. Once she found what she had been questing for, she unfolded it and then laid it on the counter of the sink. The red-headed gamma had a naively worried look on her face as she removed her wet clothing (a portion of the water had successfully been converted to the floor near the alpha's office) and tried to work swiftly at drying herself off.

Once she was somewhat satisfied with her job, she laid the wet towel onto the ground and then placed her wet clothing inside of it. Reassured that this would work, she folded the towel over itself and once again, forming a small little pouch almost. The point was that the clothes wouldn't fall out when she was carrying it, thus also reducing the space needed to carry all of the cloth in wolf form.

She really didn't have time to put her clothes through the wash and dry, so without a word, she focused on shifting her figure into that of her wolf. It was a fairly quick process, and the only pain she really felt was from all of her cuts and bruises from previous days and today's morning.

Renmy sat down on her haunches, her ears back a bit and her maw open in a small whine as she glanced to and fro before kneeling and carefully picking up the towel in her mouth. She then began to paw at the crack she left in the door, getting it wide enough to stick her muzzle in and push the rest of the way open. After this, she loped silently up to her own room and raised her upper body to the handle, placing a paw down on the long knob and pushing forward on the door. It popped open and she quickly moved to the large window and door at the back of the room.

Setting down the towel, she nudged it in order to get it to unfold again, and then left the clothes there to dry. She would have taken it out onto the small porch that her room featured, but didn't have the time or will to fumble with the door lock. The others had probably already set off, so she'd have to do a bit of catching up in order to reach them. A low whine squeaked through her vocals, and she wrinkled her nose just slightly before scrabbling out the door once more and carefully nudging it shut with a back leg. Once set, she hopped down the stairs and set outside.



Vale shrugged off Brandin's hostility as just being a cranky pants from being woken up so 'early' in the day. Though once all the pack members departed from the room, she beamed up at Anvar, clasping her hands together behind her back and leaning forward just fractionally. "So where's and what is this special place of yours, Anvar? And are you sure we should be leaving the pack after having told them to go on patrol? What if they found something interesting? Like a big shiny thing? And then what if you an' me are gone?" She pouted up at him, now putting her hands on her hips.

She then giggled, scratching the side of her head contently. "Let's go explore!" Little Vale once more flashed him a huge smile, standing still as he leaned down and put both hands under her arms and sides, picking her up and hoisting her to his shoulders. She grinned, patting her hands down on his head with a naive, cheeky smile.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Onward loyal steed!" She tugged on his hair with some force, though it was a gentle oull (or at least probably not going to hurt him much, considering he was the alpha and she was just a pup, not to mention he'd probably be used to it by now).

A small growl excaped the alpha's throat at Brandin's attitude towards him and the other, he never really understood his decision to accept the gamma in the first place, the sleeping beauty had even made it clear back then he had no loyalty for anyone, still his combat skills were impressive, almost surpassing his own due to Brandin's unorthadox and rather sadistic fighting style, much the same as Anvar's own. The only difference was the gamma wanted to mutilate his opponent as much as wolfishly possible, were as Anvar merely wished to disable and humiliate his opposition before putting them out of their miser, quickly and humanely. If you don't shape up soon I'm going to have to have a serious word with you. He thought viciously, lips peeling back to reveal his teeth as a snarl spread across his face as the disobedient wolf left the room.

He heard everyone that was heading on patrol leave the house as instructed, their scent becoming weaker and weaker as they gathered distance from the house. His attention then went to the little pup as she stood there infront of him, her unscarred, little face beaming at his. "So where's and what is this special place of yours, Anvar? And are you sure we should be leaving the pack after having told them to go on patrol? What if they found something interesting? Like a big shiny thing? And then what if you an' me are gone?" She pouted up at him, now putting her hands on her hips, he dropped to his knees so he could "Well if they do find something big and shiny I'm sure they'll bring it home for you, if not I'll head to the town and buy you something shiny, how about a lockett?"

She then giggled bringing a smile to the alpha's face, scratching the side of her head contently. "Let's go explore!" Little Vale once more flashed him a huge smile to which he responded with an even bigger smile to the young wolf, standing still as he leaned down and put both hands under her arms and sides, picking her up and hoisting her to his shoulders. He felt her patting her hands down on his head with a cheek, naive smile on her face. "Oh and to answer where we're going it's a secret." It wasn't really a secret anyone with half a brain could find it if they followed their nose, the alpha had gotten a bit too drunk one night out by the campfire while everyone was asleep and decided to "mark his territory" along the path leading to his "special place" before running up a hill to howl at a moon.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Onward loyal steed!" She tugged on his hair with some force, to which Anvar let out a childish impersonation of a horse, and started to walk towards the door making a click-clopping noise with each step before realising he had forgotten something. Spinning around on one foot, making sure he had hold of Vale, he headed towards the desk seeing his gun had been placed back, he quickly picked it up and also a couple of dozen of rounds for it, the usual plain bullets for practise and his own design, silver plated fragmentation rounds, specially made to take down even the largest of werekins, just incase they ran into any trouble although he didn't expect too.

After stuffing the gun down the back of his pants and shoving the bullets into his deep pocketts he once again span around and left the room and quickly out the house. It took a little under ten minutes to reach the destination, a small pond surrounded with a variety of wild flowers and in the middle of the pond stood a memorial of black marble with stepping stones leading up to it. "We're hear, princess, now I know this may not look like much but this is very special to me." The alpha explained to the pup while lifting her to the ground. "Here see that big black in the middle run up to it and see if you can read the two names on it." He stood at the beginning of the stepping stones while the pup hopped from one stone to the next while he began to load Retrobution with the normal rounds, when the pup had done as she was told he then shouted over to her. "Can you do me a favour princess and fetch some flowers to place at the memorial then I'll teach you how to use this!" He held the magnum to show her what he meant.

Vale peered over at him as he answered her thought process. “Yay, more shiny stuff for Vale!” She tilted her head to the side, her eyes closed in a cheerful grin. It was dropped as he continued speaking, “A secret, huh? I’ll try not to tell anyone then.” A conspirational look crossed her face, and then she coughed quietly, her focus tilting to the noises her alpha was making as they left the house.

Her eyes quickly flickered to the clearing as they came upon it, her small fingers entwining into the alpha’s hair and then out distractedly. The sun certainly gave off a pretty reflection on the pond water, and so naturally that’s where Vale’s attention was harbored. The scents of the wildflowers also reached her nostrils, and she smiled again, inhaling deeply.

However, she was quickly shaken out of her trance-like state by Anvar calling her princess again. She merely blinked, and then spread her elbows out so he could manage getting her to the ground better. "Here, see that big black stone in the middle? Run up to it and see if you can read the two names on it." Vale nodded, quickly tottering away to the pond waters. As nimbly as a seven year old can be, she hopped on the stepping stones, her left hand in her pocket while the right remained loosely by her side. She then climbed up to the big plaque, and stood on her tippy toes, her hands both supporting her by clutching the corners as she leaned over it and tried to read the names. Her right ear twitched as Anvar called to her, and she turned to focus on him.

“Wildflowers? Okay.” The pup nodded, walking lightly towards a patch she thought looked good. Kneeling down, she carefully placed her fingers at the base of each stem and pulled up, nearly tumbling over from the reaction. But she caught herself and giggled quietly, finishing up her job and placing it at the base of the black stone. She then grinned, spinning around and quickly trotting down the small rise and over the stepping stones to her Alpha. Her eyes were completely focused on the gun resting in his hands.



Renmy had just placed her paws down on the ground when her ears flickered up to attention, and a comical look of exasperation fell to her face as she scented the pack’s fox. She paused, standing still with her head tilted to the side fractionally. Obviously something was up judging by her stature, and her left ear flicked distractedly.

"Ren- there's a bunch of cats just east of here. Not like little housecats- like lions and jaguars and cheetahs."

Her head snapped up in attention, and her ears immediately pressed back against her skull, a look of defense taking up residence among her wolfish facials. However, Renmy didn’t get a chance to say anything back to her as she disappeared inside the house. Which was a bad idea all around what with Anvar being gone and she might call out, thus waking up Brandin’s wrath.

So instead, she settled down, her mind racing with both the complications of the werecats (obviously they’d have to be, those species don’t just hang around each other, let alone live in this area unless zoo bred, but even then they wouldn’t survive) but also Rose’s foolish move. It wasn’t that she was protective of the fox, but a pack was a pack, and you don’t just leave someone out of it. Their numbers made them strong and kept all stats up.

Her ears were swiveling back and forth, trying to listen in on what was happening inside. A look of disdain quickly made itself apparent, and she wrinkled her nose for a moment. And then finally Brandin decided to come out after some display of something or other on the upper level of the house. She of course had no idea what had happened, other than him ruining the wall. Sure, it wasn’t normal at all for even a wolf to hear that, but when you break so much stuff in your life, you start to easily pick up on the tearing of mass. Anvar wouldn’t be happy about it, as it would cost money they could use for other more important things. Or he might just leave it there. She let out a huff of breath, much more lax than she was this morning around him.

”Renmy. I will be hunting cats. Come or not. You decide.” She waited a second as he turned to wolf form, his seemingly blood-stained fur a prominent sight in the sunlight. She was used to it by now, and it only intimidated her fractionally. As he started off, she took one last look towards the house and quickly rose to her paws, loping after him mellowly. He was part of the pack, and she wasn’t just about to let him go alone. Sure, he was strong, but up against who knows how many cats, he could be outmatched. It was good to have backup, even if you didn’t need any. He wouldn’t call on her even if he was in trouble, but she’d have already stepped in on her own. And then get yelled at after, that was just how Brandin seemed to be.

She kept her eyes low and focused on the ground, her tail at a neutral position and her paws making little to no noise. Despite being clumsy in human form, which was only when she was around other people or not paying attention to all aspects around her (like the water and slipping), she was unusually deft in wolf form or when she was alone. She made sure to keep a small distance between them, but didn’t let the gap grow too largely. She was the one in the pack (other than perhaps the fox) who stayed behind and took up a more stealth-like approach to things. She wasn’t strong physically, but you didn’t need to be physical. So while Brandin might go rush into the area like a mad man, she’d take up a good position in a tree, downwind, and keep tabs and lend a little bit of assistance to tilt the tables if need be.

A warm smile had rested on Anvar's lips, the pup would do anything he asked, maybe she might complain and pout if it was something she really did not want to do but always did it in the end. Out of all the members of the pack, the alpha cared for Vale the most, not juat because she was the most physically frailest but also because she was the closest thing to a daughter he would ever had, he found the females of the pack all attractive but they felt more like sisters or best friends than mates. "Thank you for that my little princess, now it's time for you to learn how to use a...." He trailed off when his ears picked up movement and to his surprise saw the pack's fox sprinting towards them.

Like the rest of his pack he remembered exactly how he met each one and Rose's story was very similar to some of the others, wounded and abandoned, picked uo by one of the pack memebers that were around when Anvar was only the beta of the old pack. Even when she was close to death and surrounded by wolves the little fox had the spirit to defend herself, infact it was Anvar himself who received her fury which had left a small scar under his right eye, something he always reminds her of whenever she's feeling down about her abilities, often with a jest about how she was a lousy aim and should have got his eye.

He was snapped out of this little bit of nostalgia when she spoke up. "Anvar- there's a group of were cats just east of the ranch house." Were cats? Shit is the pride trying to expand their terrotory again? His thought was broken when he saw the state the gamma was in. "You better take me to them quickly but in human form ok? I want to handle this at least somewhat diplomaticaly." His hands were a blur of movement as they unloaded Retrobution, placed the bullets back into his pockett and brought out the custom rounds. "But before we do that tell me who did that to you."

He gripped her chin gingerly, trying not to cause her any pain as the bruises looked tender, he lifted it it and side to side as he gained a better look at them, seeing finger shaped contusions around her throat. A frown flickered for a second as he guessed who would hace done this but his signature wolfish smile soon appeared, looking into those beautifully miss matching coloured eyes he said. "Don't worry about the bruises though, they haven't stopped you being so god damn pretty."

"You better take me to them quickly but in your human form ok?" Anvar ordered, and Rose nodded once. Anvar was one of the very few people she would listen to when they asked things of her. She adored Anvar- he was so kind and lighthearted.
She glanced at Vale. "We'll pass by the house, so it would probably be best to leave Vale home. Wouldn't want you getting hurt." Rose gave the little pup a playful smile. In some aspects, Rose was just as childish and playful as the little pup.

"But before we do that tell me who did that to you." She flinched when he brought up the bruises across her neck. He gripped her chin softly, thankfully not causing her any pain. As he inspected her neck, faint anger flashed across her green and violet eyes. "I woke up sleeping beauty. The mutt threw me into a wall, strangled me, and nearly stabbed me with a pair of scissors. Why do you keep him around?" she growled, then glanced at him somewhat sheepishly. "Sorry. I got a little carried away."

"Don't worry about the bruises though, they haven't stopped you from being so god damn pretty." Rose rolled her eyes and smiled as a faint blush crept across her cheeks. "Anvar Woad, you are a terrible flirt." she laughed lightly.

Rose turned on her heel and gestured for Anvar and Vale to follow. "Theyre close by. shouldnt take long to get there- hopefully nobody else has already gotten to them." With that, Rose ld them back to the house first, and turned to Vale and Anvar. " It would probably be best if you stayed here, Vale." She paused, glancing up at Anvar for his aproval. "Im sure you woun't cause too much damage, right? I belive one of the wolves is still sleeping upstairs. if anything happens, wake him up. And no lighting the house on fire or anything- im sure Anvar agrees that would be bad." she shot the pup a playful smile and wimked at her.

Rose turned again, holding onto Anvar's elbow and quickly leading him back to the spot where she had seen the cats. As they neared the spot, Rose tensed. Brandin, Renmy, and one of the betas had already been here. She let go of Anvar, knowing he would still follow - if he hadent picked up the scent already. She ran towards the scene.

When she came apon the clearing to see Brandin going after one of the cats who she was sure hadent done anything to provoke him, she snarled. Rose was aware she was in no position to take control, but she wasnt a submissive creature by nature. "Back off. Or face the consequences that you will wish you had chosen my first option. " tha cat that Brandin had attacked growled at them, and Rose quickly tried to defuse the situation. If this broke into a fight and she tried to help, she would only hurt the pack. "None of us want a fight. Exept for maybe the one that attacked you. He's just a bloodthirsty maniac." Se offered a smiled and pointed to the bruises on her neck. "But im sure you understand our alarm. You not only intruded on our territory, but you where hunting aswell."

"Don't worry about the bruises though, they haven't stopped you from being so god damn pretty." Vale's face visibly paled and she quickly assumed that of a horrible poker face, pointing her index finger out uncertainly, but it quickly bent and she made a 'bleck' face at the whole situation. "H-hey, pg-13 here! Vale's still here!!!" She whined, flailing her arms about and trying to regather the adult's attention.

However, it wasn't any use, and she was pretty much ignored as they both got caught up in official matters, outside, Vale's face remained a bit pouty, but on the inside she was absolutely desolate and twitching in a confused manner. She was actually being utterly ignored, like she didn't even exist. She wouldn't even get to learn how to learn to use Anvar's gun. And again, she was merely dragged along back to the pack house.

"It would probably be best if you stayed here, Vale." Vale smiled cheerfully up at the fox, and nodded. "Yeah, okay!" 'You wouldn't want some stupid pup getting in under your feet, right?' Again, she was completely crushed inside about how suddenly everyone's moods changed, she just didn't understand, and that was just what she was thinking, of course she didn't say that out loud; Vale occasionally... gets random bouts of depression, though they hardly lasted more than forty-five minutes at best.

"And no lighting the house on fire or anything."

She had been distracted, but she suddenly looked up, her face actually quite blank in that confused sort of anime way. "Wat?" But the two adults had already sped off without so much as another word to her other than a feeble goodbye as they disappeared into the trees. The small child just stood there for a few minutes after, still staring after where they'd disappeared. One might almost say it was her being dumbstruck, but Vale wasn't like that.

She shook her head, and blinked a few times, turning around and twitching her right ear (as she was unable to wiggle her left in human form), she smiled to herself cheerfully, and hopped down the lawn and into the trees, in the opposite direction of the adults herself, humming as she went.





Renmy had remained utterly silent, so as she sensed, through Brandin's subtle body language and scents, that they had come to where the cats were, she took a soft detour to the left, reverting to her human form and placing an index finger gently to the side in the bandages wrapped around her upper back and chest, pulling even softer on them, loosening a couple of the bands. She had a double layer of bandages on of course, though. Obviously you couldn't do long-range anything in wolf form.

Without a word, she scaled the tree she had come to a stop at, carefully placing her hands into the knots and knolls of the old bark, hoisting herself further and further up until she paused and shifted to the right, placing her feet carefully onto her chosen branch and skirting along to a comfortable position where it would be a clear shot into the clearing.

Well, if anything, it certainly helped her scent that she had been pretty much drenched that morning, and only dried off so well.

She allowed her eyes to flicker shut, and she focused on her more trained sense of scent and hearing. While she focused on what was happening down in the clearing, her fingers made swift work of some spots on her outer bandages, slipping almost paper-thin knives out until she had a total of four carefully positioned in her lap, one hand at the ready while the other supported her on the branch.

She really only kept so few knives on her, she really had no idea that this would come up, had she known, she would have been better prepared. But she had four shots, used for distraction and chaotic confusion should there be a need for it. Brandin was hardly in much trouble... yet.... If she really felt he had been in any real danger, those deadly knives of hers would already be embedded before the feet of the enemy as a warning. They couldn't scent her... they couldn't see her... they wouldn't know how many others might be up in the trees, even if it was truly only just her. Annnd... there we go. She sucked in her lower lip in absolute comical disbelief that it'd escalate so fast. Without a word, she slid her thumb along the hilt of one knife, smoothly picking it up and positioning it between thumb and index, as well slightly her middle.

The gamma then flicked her wrist, allowing the small projectile to slice straight through the air and bury itself centimeters from Dante's northern most toe. Without missing a beat, remaining knives already in her fingers, she slid soundlessly from one branch to another until she settled onto a very new branch in a new tree (they grew in nice proportion in regards to distance from each other) crouching low and seeing if she made a mark. Her face visibly paled and she could have sworn small sweat trickled down her face in accords to her mind which was now in panic mode and a somewhat apologetic, spluttering over her silent words kind of state. Oh my GOD I did not mean to hit that close to him, ah my gosh, what if I had severed a toe or something, that wouldn't be good at all, you need your toes!!! YouNeedThem!!! Without a fraction of sound she flailed her arms in horror, despite that they were obviously in the wrong.

But with her new position she could hear their voices, though somewhat muffled, well enough to make out most of the snappy shots at each other. The voices were so strange to her.... But at least whoever was charging Brandin probably got the message not to go too close to him. "Touch her again and I'll rip you to shreds mutt." She narrowed her eyes and set her mouth in a straight line, an obvious expression of: 'Seriously, you're really going to approach him?' For a moment Renmy considered flinging the same warning in his face, but decided she'd have gotten her point across. Plus if they tried to pick up her knives, she mightn't be so nice with where she made the next one land. She liked her pretty sleek grey knives, and didn't like other people picking them up.

But it was Rose's that stood out the most clearly. Her face turned into disdain at what she ended up saying. Really? Is she... trying to appease them? We have every right to kill them. They trespassed on our territory. Now, of course that's not that big of a deal, but when you go hunting on our land with such abandon and no regards for the consequences, obviously you're asking for a beating. And- hey, what? He isn't that bloodthirsty. Her confusion and slight exasperation only grew, and she put her chin in the palm of one hand, thinking over the situation and making silent comments to herself. Alarm? Like I said, it isn't their bloody right! We can take them on easily... how many of them are there? Not too many, I know that, but....

The red-headed gamma paused, scenting the air and trying to separate all the different scents from each other. It wasn't hard to do the pack's, but the strangers... they all had a unique scent but they had their similarities. She grunted silently, They're in the wrong, blasted... well, she wouldn't understand, she's just a fox.... No, Renmy. She's part of the pack, albeit a pain in the butt and not too productive at times, but a pack member nonetheless! Renmy remained utterly silent, allowing things to continue without any... added... chaos to the mix on her part. But obviously everyone would be able to handle themselves now that they outnumbered the cats and had them on a bit of a... roundabout shall we say. Renmy really didn't need to intervene much more on anyone's behalf, though she would in a heartbeat had the situation been any different.

"I woke up sleeping beauty. The mutt threw me into a wall, strangled me, and nearly stabbed me with a pair of scissors. Why do you keep him around?" she growled, then glanced at him somewhat sheepishly. "Sorry. I got a little carried away." Of course it had to be Brandon who else could have possibly done it, he's a psycopath, the Alpha merely shook his head at her apology. "Don't be sorry, he's on his first strike." His voice and face was that as stone but soon changed as the little werefox spoke up. "Anvar Woad, you are a terrible flirt." His signature wolfish grin appeared on his face as he gave her a wink. "Hey someone in this pack has to be." And with that note Rose turned on her heel and gestured for Anvar and Vale to follow. "Theyre close by. shouldnt take long to get there- hopefully nobody else has already gotten to them." His smile faded into a smirk at this rather naive statement. "Let's not kid ourselve lass, with our luck the pyscho has already ripped one in half." With that, Rose led them back to the house first, and turned to Vale and Anvar. " It would probably be best if you stayed here, Vale." She paused, glancing up at Anvar for his aproval, to which he gave rather reluctantly and after a few spoken words they left Vale at the house to face these intruders.

Rose led the way again holding onto his elbow and quickly leading him back to the spot where she had seen the cats. She broke contact and ran off into the distance but the alpha had already picked up the scent of not just the cats but members of his pack as well, swapping his speed from a jog to a casual walk he wasn't in a big rush, Cyra's scent was strong and he trusted her to keep things under control. He heard voices and both groups came into sight, he over heard the commotion that Brandin (it must have been him) caused, the smell of another dominant causig his spine to tingle violently. He heard the fox make a peace attempt bringing a warm sense of pride towards her, Atta girl, I wish you were the first to make contact, he thought with a sigh most of the members would show hostility towards intruders no matter the situation yet they all failed to remember that they too had been intruders once when Anvar had found them. “I also wish to speak with your alpha now that we know you’re here. It would benefit us both.” The female who reaked of dominance demanded.

Walking past the still snarling Brandin, the alpha pressed the muzzle of his gun against the base of skull and whispered. "Stand down or I will put you down and use that mangy red coat of yours as a door matt." He didn't attempt to hide his anger and hatred towards the gamma, he let their venom fill each word, showing the red wolf he was in charge and that he meant every word he said. He took the gun away from his head as he walked up to the feline, making Retrobution known to the cats more as a safety blankett than an actual threat, he hoped he wouldn't have to use it, when he was about a foot away from her he stopped and held his hand out to which the woman took and shook. "I'm the alpha of this pack and I apologise for the hostility of my gammas." His tone taking a formal tone, quickly giving the golden eye wolf one last glare before giving his full attention to the leader. "And think nothing of tresspassing and hunting, most of these wolves forget they had once been in similar dispositions you lot are in."

He broke the shake and gave her that wolfish smile of his. "You say you were just passing through? Well you seem to be heading towards the human settlement in that direction the way you want is that way." He pointed in the same direction as the ranch. "That way leads you towards more wilderness but also our home, if you are still hungry and tired I would like to administer an informal invitation to stay for the night to rest and fuel up before you set off again." He looked at the rest of the cats and knew by instinct most of their bodies were running on happy thoughts, his eyes returned on the naked body infront of him, scanning her from toe to head, resting on her eyes . "So what do you say beautiful wanna come sleep in the big bad wolve's house?" He asked, his care free attitude once again showing as his smile widened.

Birds chirped to and fro from branches high up in the trees while sunlight streamed through leaves and branches until it filtered downwards onto the grass, dirt, and leaf litter of the forest. Vale hummed lightly to herself with a small smile, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her skirt and fingering the small fraying string in the left one.

There was an occasional rustling among the bushes every so often, but she mostly ignored it. It wouldn't be anything too exciting, just prey. The pack had pretty distinct boundaries, and they never ran into any big predators. The pup paused, putting her hands on her hips, and then inhaled a deep breath through her nostrils, her lips somewhat parted to help for scenting and breathing. With another pause, she blinked, gave herself a reassuring nod, and then turned to the north-east down a small path that was overgrown with grass and small weeds. She continued her humming, though gave half of her attention to the chattering of the birds around her.

I wonder how big the territory actually is. The small girl blinked, gazing up at the treetops and allowing her eyes to trail along as she kept up her casual pace. "Dute de dute de duu...." What's everyone doing that's so important anyhow? A yawn suddenly came over her, and she paused once again in order to rub an eye before continuing on her path.




The red-headed gamma's ear twitched, and her eyes narrowed as she listened intently to the conversation below and to the north of her. It was obvious that the pride's leader had some flaws to her excuse and apology, especially considering that they did mark their territory on a regular basis, and it wouldn't have been too hard to cross the river and attempt to scope it out. And then she simply backtracked and said that they hunted outside of the borders, meaning they must have realized that there were borders in the first place, thus making the previous excuse completely void and meaningless. But hey, these were cats they were talking about. So it wasn't much of a surprise, not to mention they might just be flustered from Brandin's show.

With a small blink, she leaned forward just a bit, her eyes darting across the clearing. Speaking of which, what is he occupying himself- However, Renmy didn't get to finish her line of thought as the alpha's scent quickly struck her nostrils, her eyes immediately darting to its strongest point. What she didn't expect was him to be holding his precious gun to one of his own member's heads. Without thinking, one of her three remaining knives was up in her fingers and poised to strike. Though sense froze her hand from moving.

Not only would it be showing insubordination, but it would probably take a chip at Brandin's ego. He really didn't need her to intervene on that, and she'd only get in some massive trouble. But she expected Anvar to take into consideration what it would flaunt to the cats. If the pride knew that those two had a shaky relationship, to say the least..., it would present a question of Anvar's hold over the rest of the pack and his abilities at leadership, not to mention that there was obvious turbulence within the pack itself. If a pack wasn't together, then they were nothing. And numbers were their strength, and such a display meant they were weak. But maybe I'm just thinking into this too much. It's not like it's that serious anyway. Just don't want them getting the wrong idea and trying to harm one of us.

The fem quickly shook her head, refocusing on the voices below as Anvar apologized for the pack's rightful behavior. "And think nothing of trespassing and hunting, most of these wolves forget they had once been in similar dispositions you lot are in." That wasn't supposed to sting the way it did, but nonetheless it was there. Renmy stared blankly down at the alpha, her features revealing nothing.

So now we're nothing more than strangers to you? No better than the cats? We're trying to do what we've always known and always done. The pack comes first; Always. So you're trying to tell us 'oh, it's no big deal, it doesn't matter. Heck, seriously, why are you guys even trying, y'know? Let's just let everyone and anything come into the territory.' I thought you held us in better standings. Really, Anvar, if you wanted things done like that, you should have just told us to do so. Her head was tilted down now, her bangs casting a shadow across her facial features. She clenched her left hand, her fingernails digging into the bark viciously but quietly. It'd hardly be noticeable as an abnormal noise.

Then he invited them to live among them for a small while. Her face visibly paled, and her body tensed. Bloody brilliant idea. It doesn't matter though, he is the alpha. J-just so long as they stay away from me.... She sighed, running her thumb lightly along her shin to calm herself down. She blinked, rubbing her forehead mellowly. This was just a horrible day altogether. It was enough to have to be aware of the pack members she already had, but to have to constantly watch her back among the cats and to try to keep her injury rate the same with all the new challenges posed by them staying with the pack was a lot of work and stress.

It was amazing how generous Anvar could be sometimes. And how thoughtless he could be of the pack's safety. But that was Anvar, and she really wasn't complaining. She was pretty solitary anyway, and always so unsure of herself. She couldn't really ask for anyone else, she'd known his ways so long, and she couldn't really live on her own.

Red fur suddenly caught in her range of vision, and her eyes immediately jumped to the source. A solemn expression rapidly filled her expression as she saw him moving towards the alpha, and was thrown off a bit when he completely skirted to the side and towards the fox. And then it hit her what he had planned. Obviously she couldn't really jump in and intervene, she didn't fight that way and it wouldn't be of any help regardless. She had no idea what to do, the fox was part of their pack too, and she really did value every member, but Brandin was also really frightening, and she'd rather not get any further on his bad side. This was why she usually presumed a neutral position in most matters, and stayed towards the back.

Anvar would probably do something about it, he'd take care of it. Most likely.... But he wouldn't even have to step in, but rather, stand up, as the poor fox's form was flung straight into him, blood splattering the grass and terra. Renmy winced, but quickly resumed her full scale vision on the scene. She growled softly, her gaze locking onto the large white tiger sprinting towards the two, her right hand clenching another knife in aggravation that he'd dare try to hurt either one. It wasn't his place, and she'd already warned him, and had set to be less stingy on her ranging if any of the cats decided to repeat the mistake.

Without allowing another second to be taken leisurely, another knife was sailing through the air, easily catching the rays of the sun and bouncing them back off, causing a nice couple of eye attracting glints. The weapon embedded itself into the earth a small ways in front of the tiger. Through her actions it was apparent that she didn't intend on hitting him, as it was impossible not to do so while he was in such motion unless to miss and then defeat the whole purpose of impeding his motion anyway. Though Renmy hardly needed to intervene, as he stopped on his own out of recognition to Brandin's current state.

She remained silent as Brandin turned from every person in the area, excluding herself as she was below him, and her eyes trailed after his form. Two small objects were dropped near her tree, and the second she saw them she recognized them both as her knives. It was a relief really, she hardly wanted to reveal herself to retrieve the two weapons, and she also didn't want them being picked up and used against anyone from her pack. Though she remained where she was, it was foolish to climb down when all their attention was probably focused on the direction he had just gone. Though only a few would probably linger with that thought before turning their attention to the wounded fox and alphas.

The red-headed gamma let out a sigh, picking up the two knives remaining on her lap and re-securing them into their places between bandages. This was obviously over, and whether or not anyone agreed with what the alpha had decided, it was pretty much final. The felines would be staying with them. She made sure that everything was tight and secure before slowly working her way downwards, trying not to make too much motion within the tree, and kept to the leafiest portions in order to keep her presence mostly hidden. Either they'd assume someone was hiding in this tree, or just think that Brandin had left the knives there so they'd be away from everyone else for the person they belonged to for collection later.

Renmy paused momentarily, both hands on the branch for support as a sudden realization dawned on her.

If everyone's here.... Where's Vale?

Renmy had been staggering along after Vale's scent, dipping under low-hanging branches and outstretched bushes constantly. Every so often, she would take a small break to cradle the side of her head and regain her bearings. Blood had already began a faint blur against the white of her bandages even then, so it was still bleeding pretty steadily, though it was beginning to decline. She had finally come upon a clearing where Vale's scent was strongest, and her eyes quickly swept across the grasses and the borders, but it almost immediately stopped when it came to a sole peach tree with two bushes dotted near to its base.

The red-headed gamma walked forward, albeit a bit laboriously, until she was a few meters from the somewhat smooth bark. She swayed a bit to the right, and Vale's clothing suddenly flickered into view. 'That bloody pup is trying to break herself again!' "Vale, get... down from there, that's... dangerous!" She huffed, trying to slide her bloodied leg behind the other and out of the pup's view. But of course, it was too late.

Vale had just been reaching up, her left foot planted solidly on a small knoll on the trunk of the tree with her right one dangling precariously, with one hand pressed against the smooth-ish texture and her other outstretched and trying to grab for one of the lower peaches when the smell of blood suddenly hit her nose. She froze, and then frowned softly, tilting her head. It was then that Renmy's voice permeated the otherwise silent area. She placed both hands on the trunk, and then poked her head out from behind the tree with a huge grin. "Hi there!" She blurted out cheerfully before returning back to her attempts at grabbing a sweet peach, completely ignoring her words, and missing the wound in her leg.

The gamma crossed her arms loosely before limping subtly over to Vale. "Vale, come on... you're going to hurt yourself. If you have to have a peach, at least let me get them before you break a leg or an arm or something...." Vale shrugged, letting out a small complaint of "I'm hunnngrryyyyy~" and then carefully hopped down, moving out of the way and smiling with her eyes closed. The smile faltered for a second as she went over the words that Ren had just spoken. "But aren't you more likely to do that?" She looked up at the older wolf as she scaled the tree, using that same knoll the little pup had been using. Renmy shook her head, biting her lower lip faintly as a substitute for a wince as her shin bumped lightly into the trunk. "Not with trees... it- it doesn't make much sense, I know... but it's, it's just how it is...." She reached up, plucking a few of the fruits from their nodes on the branches, before letting out a small, hollow gasp.

Vale was slightly crouched as she reached forward and poked the gamma's leg. "What's this from?" The small one asked, her eyes curious. "Ow, Vale... d-don't do that, that hurts. I... simply fell and scraped it up a bit." Once more her lower lip was held inwards by the red-head's canine tooth. She didn't want to scare Vale, thus causing her to avoid Anvar in terror. "But... that doesn't look like a I-fell-down-and-scraped-myself-up wound. It's bleeding too much, isn't it?" Being around someone who got hurt constantly and in many various ways did have its annoying benefits. The red-head blinked silently, before slowly answering the pup. "It'll be fine...."

Carefully, she descended from the tree, cradling four peaches in one arm, using the other for support as she landed on her uninjured foot. She frowned at the pup, letting out a sigh as once more her leg was jabbed. She walked back towards the way she had come, completely unaware of another set of eyes watching her as she herself was focused on the pup continuously blabbing about her leg or grabbing for a peach. She completely missed any vocals from the third, hidden person as Vale chattered once more, grabbing for a peach again. "Vale, come on, you'll get one once we get back to the house. Hey, seri-" It was then that she collided straight into something very firm yet somewhat soft. She quickly attempted to peel backwards in surprise, but ended up tripping herself and falling straight to the ground, her bad leg thankfully only splayed outwards and above her other one. However, the peaches weren't so lucky.

Naturally, they had fallen straight out of her arms and smashed to the ground, the skin of the fruit splitting open and the flesh spilling out onto the ground. Vale had been a few meters back when she saw the man suddenly come out of nowhere, though he had only just taken a step before Renmy smacked right into him, so her first apprehensions were pretty much dispelled in a heartbeat. She was quick to dash forward, her little hands scrabbling over the juicy fruit and into her mouth. The little pup's eyes then flashed up to the man, grinning very brightly at him as she straightened up, her hands folded behind her back. However, what with the peach pieces still in her mouth, spit and juice dribbled out of the corners of her mouth, a small exhale of breath finding its way around the blockage sounding like a "Hee". She blinked, and then glanced down towards her mouth, suddenly realizing how sticky and unbecoming it was. She wiped her mouth with her arm before extending that very same hand to the stranger, working at swallowing the pieces. Her voice sounded fairly garbled, but she still managed to get some of her words out. "Hi, I'm Vale!"

Renmy, in the meantime, was wincing and sucking in air through her teeth. She had managed to rub her other foot along the bandages as she fell, thus pushing them down and making them loose and therefore allowing the blood to roll down from her wound more freely. A wary growl escaped her lips as she watched small Vale before this huge man, but the pain unfurling in her leg made it too hard to focus on it for long, and her facials again smoothed into that of a worried and uncertain aura. She leaned forward, quickly trying to unwrap the bandage all the way in order to redo it. Her eyes once again darted up to make sure he wasn't trying to eat the small child, and it was then that she realized he was stark naked, which meant he had shifted recently, which also meant he must have been that one feline she had almost de-toed, and that he must have already been at the pack house, which in turn made her furious and stinging thoughts of Anvar return. But overall she was completely caught off guard, her face flushed a light rose color and caused her to cough awkwardly and roll a bit to where her arms were spread under her head, her fists clenched gently, and her hair covering her face. It always took her a little while to get used to... bodies, and even more so with complete and utter strangers. And her leg was still bleeding and still hurt like heck, the bandages surrounding the wound now on the grass.

Vale on the other hand had the absolute innocence of a child, and was completely unfazed by the man's stature and current presence.

Dante Selantine

Dante panicked as the girl crashed into his chest. His cheeks turned a hot shade of red and he began blubbering on, hoping he didn’t hurt her. “Oh! I’m so sorry. Are you okay? Oh no, no, no. I’m sorry. Please don't be mad.” Dante glanced up quick enough to notice that the girl wasn’t alone and he paled as he took in the age of the girls and the splattered peaches. It would have looked to anyone else like he was attacking the girls. “Oh no. Oh no. Oh lord. The peaches, and your hurt!” He waved his hands around in a flurry of panic, unsure whether to pick up the peaches or help the girl up. Which was more important to her, he wondered.

However, the smallest child dashed forward and scooped up the peaches and stuffed them inside her mouth. Dante stared, his blubbering minimized to shocked gasping. His facial expression was similar to that of a red fish gasping for air. The little pup's eyes then flashed up to the man, grinning very brightly at him as she straightened up, her hands folded behind her back. Dante, unable to help himself, reached for her and lightly touched her cheeks. “You shouldn’t be eating that. It’s dirty.” He meekly patted her cheeks and glanced to the other girl nervously. The girl seemed to understand and wiped the juice off her mouth and swallowed. Dante smiled although it was stressed. "Hi, I'm Vale!" Dante nodded. “I’m Dante.” He smile broadened a bit but he moved on to the next girl who needed medical attention.

Dante coughed as he leaned down beside the girl as she finished bandaging herself again. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He pouted, hunching his shoulders self-consciously. He observed her tight posture and clenched fists with a nervous sorrow. “Do you need help? I can help you back to your house. It’s that way, right? It’s my fault that this happened anyways. Let me help. Please.” He softened his voice, hoping that she wouldn’t be mad. He had to wonder was he so concerned but he chalked it up to his good nature. “I’m sorry.” He murmured once more, feeling it necessary for her to understand he didn’t mean for this to happen.