[ A New Day]

[viggo]

"Nerrezai," Viggo grinned charmingly at her. She was a lovely wolf, but very timid. Someone he could easily win and most probably persuade to keep quiet about it so he could have her on the side while he also had Zynex. "What a lovely name."

His tail wagged gently, trying to ease and comfort her to his presence. Before his maw could part to say anything further, his ears caught the sound of another entering the clearing. A male scent was in combintion, and Viggo assumed it to be the Beta. His stance raised slightly as he heard a confused tone from him. The words were unclear, but the tone was not; the Beta was jealous. His smile widen and he returned his attention to Nerrezai.

"I don't know about you gorgeous, but I'm practically starving for breakfast. Care to join me?" Slowly he walked past her towards a trail on the back side of the ledge. Viggo was still new to the territory, but then again, so was his fay... well, the fay... soon to be his fay. Betwixt the pair he was sure they could find some sort of meal, no matter how meager it would increase her trust in him. Silently he sent a small current through hs fur, trying to put some sort of charge into the air that would urge her to come with him. Looking backwards at her over his shoulder, he pleaded some more. "You know there's nothing better than rabbit in the morning...."

[-zynêx-]

ooc: Yeti- For the sake of giving more for you to post to, you shall be carried! Fell free to post in when it feels right.

Her attention preoccupied on the little black bundle at her side, Zynex was almost unaware of her Beta's presence until she felt his gentle touch to her ear. The appendage twitched in response followed by a slow turn of the proud cranium. Moonlit hues fell upon the dark furred Grey, with an unreadable expression. She was not bothered by his lateness, as she imagined he hadn't slept until early this morning, but she was a little annoyed that his resting place was not near her. In fact, she hadn't seen where he was resting early this morning. For all she knew he could have been curled up with his fellow shadow element. She had a mind to test this internal claim and see if there was truth to it, but such an indecent act would have not been fair to Raz and would have made her look like a fool if she found no evidence.

Instead, she regarded her second in command with a slight nod then gave her undivided attention to the pup, rubbing her nose against his belly as she licked the soft fur. Yet as her tongue brushed against the protrusive ribs, she was reminded of how thin the little thing was. It wouldn't do, not if she intended to take care of this pup and have him grow into a fine warrior. "Razoniel," she addressed the male beside her, nose still nuzzled within the pup's fur. "We need to get breakfast for this child and something for ourselves as well." A glittering jewel spied from beneath a rusted brow. "We will take Yeti with us and teach him a few essentials." There was no room for argument in her voice and to show her intentions were set, she gently nudged the pup aside to allow herself to stand. Casting a brief glance toward Viggo's path of retreat, Zynex returned her gaze Razoniel. "You needn't worry about Viggo. He is new and still adjusting to our way of life. Perhaps," the corner of her lips curled slightly in a smirk. "...you two could acquaint yourselves later on."

The female wouldn't say it aloud, but he hoped the arrangement would be a learning experience for the older male. Perhaps he would gain a few ways in catching a female's advances. Maybe then she wouldn't feel as though she was hitting on a brick wall.

Pushing the thought aside, Zynex lowered her maw to the pup's scruff to lift him up then carefully draped him over her Beta's back. "I hope you don't mind." she said, but gave no room for debate. "You should get used to this.." Perhaps the largest hint she ever dropped on the male. Turning, her tail gave a playful swipe at the male's nose before she set off toward the entrance of the canyon.

[Yeti]

He wasn't sure how Zynex would respond to his sudden change of attitude, and in all honesty, he didn't quite know why he had such a quick change of heart towards the female. For the past few weeks he'd spoken harshly to the few females he'd encountered, and in return, he'd been left alone. They reminded him of his mother, but not Zyn. The soft looks she gave him were alien but lulled him into a sense of security none-the-less. His mind wrestled with itself, screaming warnings to not get close and to not open up and make himself vulnerable, but what choice did he have?

Thoughts brushed aside when the ear he'd been so intent on hitting moved. His paw pulled back and his eyes darted after it, a bit perplexed. Evra had always been an easy target so he wasn't use to actually missing. He growled playfully, his rear end shaking, preparing himself to leap after the moving Zynex. She expertly kept herself just out of his reach, all the while slowing herself down enough to keep him interested. Enthralled by the little game he'd been deprived of living on his own, Yeti was very much enjoying himself. He lept after the female, trying to catch her tail and paw as they came his way. He often spun in circles after her or tripped over his own over-sized paws.

Just as Zyn had felt, the warmth of the sun was quickly making an impact on his movement. He became warm, and though his fur was thin, the darkness of it quickly heated him up. His flanks heaved lightly and by the sheer fact he was malnourished and didn't have as much energy as a puppy should, he gave in and let Zynex pick him up and plop him by her side, too tired to protest. He could only squirm and snort, trying to reach and nibble at her muzzle as she stuck her nose into his side. He was quite pleased with himself so far. He hadn't made any rude comments, nor had he been stubborn and refused both help and play.

The arrival of Razoniel caught him off guard. He woofed quietly under his breath and looked up at the black and white grizzled male. He spoke to Zynex as a friend would, but alarm was still hammering in Yeti's chest. His ears drew back and only the touch of Zynex held him rooted; his body baddly wanted to flee. He looked from the male to the female, hardly aware as she rasped her tongue over his soft fur. He remained quiet as she spoke. He wondered silently if Raze would take her orders; to Yeti she sounded as though she'd bite his head off if he argued.

He smiled, for once not angry that a female had such power. Zyn was nice, and he was hungry, so, no protest there. However, he flinched in alarm as Zynex hefted him onto Razoniel's back. He sprawled awkwardly over the male's shoulders and black, his paws and legs flexing harshly. He wiggled, not liking the foriegn feeling of the thick, long fur all around him. After some kicking and probably some clawing he managed to prop himself up over his shoulders, front paws and head resting on the male's head. After a moment or so he relaxed, liking his new, higher throne.

"I am hungry." He finally replied to Zynex's question, smiling down at the male who he knew couldn't see. He had no clue how to hunt but he was willing enough to learn. He waited and braced himself for Razoniel's movement, sneezing lightly on him in the process.

[nerrezai]

Nope. This was just a dream. Albeit a very realistic one, but a dream all the same. That, or the fact that the timid, self-mortifying wolfess just wasn’t capable of believing what was currently happening to her. Nerrezai kept denying it, saying it was some sick joke to get a chuckle from the male or he just wanted a one-night stand, but that other more hormonal side of her personality was urging her to just shut up and go with the flow. She’d had a crush on other wolves before, that was nothing new. But to receive similar feelings from such a wolf and being called beautiful, even if hormones were emanating from him? Now, that was something the female had never experienced before.

Her confused glare had melted into downcast eyes, heart still racing and ears still burning as he grinned at her. This Viggo knew just how to get to the grey and white female. With a deep intake of breath, she tried to calm her excited nerves. It worked to an extent, though admittedly his wagging tail had helped. Maybe he was genuinely concerned, it’d be nice for a change.

As Razoniel finally entered, Nerrezai glanced over her shoulder at him and waved her tail in greeting. Maybe he’d slept in late. Well, the beta deserved it at least. She paid no more attention to him after that, instead glancing at Viggo and noted his broaden grin.

A light smile tugged at her inky lips as he spoke. Nerrezai liked this, liked this a lot. She was dimly aware of hunger pains in her stomach, but they were too faint to be heard even by her ears. She nodded an affirmative, but again a wave of timidity swept over her. The female would make a fool of herself, she knew it.

She rose slowly to her paws and took a tentative step in his direction, glancing every which way in anxiety. “Now come on, this may just be the only chance you’d ever get to have a mate, or something remotely close to it. Grow a friggin’ backbone.” Nerrezai rebuked herself internally along the same line of words for the second time since she had joined the Tytanus, and she hadn’t even been there for twenty four hours. Deciding to impress him and feeling something crackle through the air, her gait became a little more confident and darted after him on the path, following obediently.

“Damn hormones.” She though.

[Ɽazǿniel.]

R A Z O N I E L !!

Zynex turned to look at him after he’d nosed her, her face for the most part expressionless. He wilted slightly and felt like a total idiot when she ignored him in favor of the pup again. Her moods seemed to always change and made him feel more and more confused. His own emotions were new to him also, leaving him no guess as to what he wanted or why he chose to act as he did. All he could do was deny them and pretend he was fine and normal. But whenever he did that, she got more frustrated and aloof as she was now. Sighing, he watched her lick the cub, stomach flipping as he couldn’t get used to the sight of it. The young one looked afraid of him, so he settled on his stomach and rested his head on his paws, looking more old and tired than threatening. Maybe it was because he was a stranger, or because of his one eye.

The alphess mumbled his name against the pup’s dark coat, and he perked up his ears when she said that they should go hunt. Her voice was firm and would not allow him to argue, though he had no idea why she’d think he would argue. The thought of hunting with the auburn female at his side was pleasant to say the least, and his grizzled white muzzle was graced with a warm smile of agreement. His gaze got a bit uneasy as he looked at the pup, but it was not a look of derision at all. Just…confusion. And some warmth, for how young the wolf was. His name was a confusing one, that of a monster he associated with ice and snow, and he wondered what the cub’s element was. If he had been of the shadow element, though, he would have felt it. Instead, his reluctant affection for Yeti came just from his age and the female’s nuzzling since he had not shown much personality.

Zynex smirked as she glanced at him and mentioned the other new pack member, Viggo. His fur bristled slightly, and he avoided her beautiful silvery gaze. “Yeah, I suppose I’ll have to,” he muttered as he glanced back to see the tawny male and his apprentice rush off together. He didn’t like the smell of the wolf from what he’d gathered. Too hormonal. If he hurt anyone in the pack, Razoniel would not hesitate to kill him. Perhaps it was another lingering threat that forced such a dark emotion in the beta male’s chest, as he looked at the she-wolf and her slender frame, her luxurious red coat. Deep longing blossomed in his mind before he shook his head, to clear the emotion and to hide the wistful expression on his face.

A weight settled on his back in this moment of distraction, and his first instinct was to leap up and buck or roll over. However, the cub’s smell was thick in his nose, and he twisted his head to look at Yeti in bewilderment, before he heard the female’s words. He blinked and nodded slightly, to show that he didn’t mind carrying the young wolf. But at her added words, something jolted within him and he growled playfully as she swatted his muzzle. Yeti squirmed to get in position, tugging at his skin, and he waited with newfound patience before walking forward after Zynex and ignoring the sneeze on the back of his head, as much as he wanted to shake it.

“Why would I need to get used to this? It’s not like you’re going to…adopt any more puppies, are you?” He caught up with her and deep down knew what she was talking about, but the thought shocked him into denying it. For her to choose a mate and bear cubs was so unnatural to him at least, if not for the look in her eyes when she had cuddled the young one before. The black wolf did not catch the underlying hint in her words—or did and tried to push it away. For him and Zynex… He swallowed and brushed slightly against her as he walked, making as if to do so for Yeti to see her. In reality, he just loved her scent and the feel of her coat. He stared intently at the ground as he walked and tried to shake the emotions off. Hunting would be even better now, to help him cleanse his mind.

[-zynêx-]

Taking the lead of the small hunting party, Zynex took care to plot a course easy enough for her Beta to follow now that he carried her charge along with them. He effortless enough caught up with her, but the question on his lips detoured her attention almost instantly from the path ahead. Was he really that dense? It was the biggest hint she had ever thrown at the male! Practically an invitation to mate with her!! And he took it as her literally finding more pups. The femme never felt so foolish in her attempts as in this moment. Heart literally wrenched in her chest and steps faltered slightly.

And just like that, she gave up. It went unannounced, undisplayed, but internally it was signaled. She didn't know how else to get the male's attention. Obviously she was nothing more than a friend and superior to him, and that was it. Auburn fur bristled as heat radiated around the fiery form of the fae then just as quickly subsided. Fine. They were nothing more than friends. As much as it pained her to think of their relationship this way...friendship was as far as it would go. She imagined the Fates were laughing at her attempts to catch his eye, only to know that nothing would ever flourish from their relationship. Smoke poured from the fae's ashen muzzle in frustration, billowing into the air and dissipating as wisps burned by the afternoon heat. But, as upset as she was, she could not afford to lose her composure in front of the pup. Pup's impressions were fragile and could easily be damaged. The last thing she wanted to do was frighten the child after gaining his friendship so quickly. So for his sake, she inhaled deeply and let the raging inferno within calm to a smolder. Her stance once again regained is confidence as she pulled away from alongside her Beta.

Stroll turned into a steady trot as the faint scent of fodder wafted to her nose, a desired distraction. "Let's hurry," she barked behind to her subordinate, then addressed the pup. "Yeti, I would like you to watch what we do alright? Take note for one day it will be your time to hunt." Lessening her pace for a moment she turned her slender muzzle to Razoniel's side and grasped the pup by his scruff and set him down. He received a gracious lick for his patience then was nudged forward by his rear. "Try and keep up, we will go slow but your legs need to grow stronger." Giving a final nudge, she raised her head to began her trot again, taking care to be within the pup's line of sight.

Their destination was not far. As the rocky ground became carpeted with newly risen grass, the smell of fodder became more prominent. A small family of rabbits were near by perhaps hidden within their den. But it was not a problem. Slowing her pace, the Alphess lowered her head, body taking a linear form as it cut through the foliage. Her pace slowed to a crawl and accordingly, her body descended to the ground, rising up enough to keep her belly off the ground. She glanced behind to her Beta knowing he would do the same. Finally she came to a stop, ears arched forward and trained for any foreign sound. Eyes wide and watchful slowly swept the immediate area. Her body immobile.

For several minutes she lay immobile, continuously watching, yet still there was no sign of their prey. They needed a lure, and she knew just the one to use. The only movement from the femme was a slight part in her lips and a gentle exhale. A red spark shot from her maw and landed ahead on a leaf. It say there, slowly eating away at the leaf til an ember grew and fed on the grass around it. And the desired reaction happened. A small browning head popped out from a den buried under the base of the tree. It slowly crept out, smelling the charred foliage and took it as a sign of danger. After that moment, any other thoughts the creature had were gone in a flash of red and orange. Impressive jaws wrapped around the neck of the poor creature and crushed the windpipe, silencing any attempts of crying out.

Food secured, the Alpha padded over and dropped the fat rabbit in front of her charge, her tail waving triumphantly at the catch. "That is for you," she said softly, smiling at the little creature. "Eat your fill." Then something tickled her nose. Smoke. The fae's ears shot up and head quickly circled to the growing flame. Quickly she ran to the flame and through herself into it, rolling back and forth on her back to smolder the flames. It gave little consequence on her part as her body was used to such heat, but remembering the pup was watching she quickly mention, "Don't you ever try that..understand?"

[Yeti]

The small male sat quietly a top his mobile perch. His paws were placed carefully on Raze's head. His own head was held high, regal like, while the rest of his body rocked and moved with the gait of Razoniel. His shoulders rolled, almost human like, and his back curved and fitted carefully into the older male's neck. His eyes remained wide, though whether it was out of interest or still the fear of being a top an unknown male, was undetermined. Either way, he wasn't acting out and was very much enjoying the ride. He was achy and his paw pads sore and raw from rough, beeline travels. He hadn't allowed himself rest for a couple of reasons; he was afraid to stop moving and he was constantly looking for food and company. He figured he deserved a little ride. Behind him his tail shook merrily.

He fixed his eyes on the two adult males. One he was already beginning to have feelings of love (an unknown emotion) for, and the other he was okay with. He hadn't really spoken or gotten to know Raze, but by reading body language he was beginning to. He watched as their pelt's brushed. It wasn't visable, and yes he was just a young whelp, but he could feel the sensations sitting a top Raze. He harvested feelings for the female, but unknowingly, Yeti watched as the female's feelings for him went out.

They had exchanged words, which Yeti understood, but like Raze he didn't pick up the underlaying meaning. Though Yeti had an excuse not to. Whatever meaning those words held the old male did not catch and Yeti witnessed a response in the female. She pulled away and moved further ahead. Yeti could only whine softly and tilt his head in response, urging his chariot forward. Zynex stayed ahead for awhile before, more relaxed, she came back to her beta's side. Yeti felt his scruff tighten before he was hoisted up and off Razoniel's back. He let his body go limp. As his feet touched the ground he sat, shaking his muscles and limbs free of stiffness.

He smiled as Zynex licked him and rose to his feet when nudged. He glanced back at Zynex as he strode forward, "Okay." He nodded, easily quickening his pace to a fast trot after the adults. He followed after them the best he could but they easily pulled ahead. He was momentarily distracted by the change in footing, but much relieved: the grass didn't hurt his feet as bad. He stalled and watched Zynex as she fell low to the ground. He looked around before giving it a try. Finding it awkward he stood back up, but feeling the need to be quiet, stayed put. He simply went up on his hind feet to better watch the adults hunt.

He saw a spark come from his adoptive "mother's" mouth. He nearly gasped in surpise. He wasn't clued in on elements and could only guess what had just happened. As if on cue he watched as a rabbit emerged, but was quickly and painlessly killed not a moment after by the autumn colored female. She carried her kill to him and dropped it by his feet. He fell to his rear and blinked at it before gazing up at her. "I can just...have it?" He wondered. He was never just given food, not even by his mother. As soon as he was old enough for solid food all he'd ever eaten were bugs, mice, and the occasional, rare old kill he'd stumbled upon. He smiled, hunger clawing at his belly, as he gingerly sniffed the limp, still warm rabbit.

Before he could take a bite Zynex vanished, rolling out the flame she'd started. Which reminded him. "I won't. But how did you do that?" He opened his mouth and made a noise that could only be described as hissing. No flame. He wrinkled his muzzle in response.

[/blockquote]

[Ɽazǿniel.]

R A Z O N I E L !!

Yeti whined softly on his back, where until then he had been sitting quite comfortably, small dark tail wagging. He studied the distance between himself and Zynex and wondered if he’d said the wrong thing. The alternative was that she was teasing him again, but that was not likely. He watched the smoke flare from her jowls and flattened his ears, stopping suddenly then adjusting his body to not dislodge the cub, which he had become accustomed to. He held back a curse for the pup’s benefit as he understood that he had upset her somehow. But what did she want from him? Surely she knew him well enough that games and hints would only confuse him further! He was a literal kind of guy, and though he felt his frustration like a rock in his chest, concern welled in his eye. He hadn’t meant to hurt her feelings, though he was unaware of just how strongly her feelings were hurt.

When the auburn female hung back to step next to him, the beta’s tail wagged once before she simply told him to hurry. She’d not come to apologize or explain himself as he’d expected and wished. He frowned slightly as she lifted the weight off his back, the nodded at her with pointed formality. If she wanted to be cold to him, he’d be cold back. He couldn’t name the desperation that sparked briefly in his eye as she loped away from him. He glanced at Yeti and walked after her, keeping his pace slow enough so that the cub wasn’t left behind.

Razoniel watched her slender body lower as she crouched, her muscles bunching, and as he settled into his own crouch beside the smaller black wolf she glanced back at him. He scanned for prey as she did, and added a touch of his element as he blended in with the shadows of one of the rocks. Here he remained hidden from all eyes as he waited for something to turn up, eyes straining in the daylight he was not very accustomed to. When she breathed a small flame onto one of the leaves, he bristled with alarm and rose out of his crouch, but did not take the veil of darkness off of himself until she’d captured the rabbit. His paws itched again to run forward when she put out the fire.

He threw the shadows away from his form, becoming visible again as he watched the pup promise that he wouldn’t throw himself on a fire. He smirked then turned his head when he saw a fleeting shape cross the grass. He threw himself into a run, not bothering to stalk already terrified and running prey, and let shadows slither from underneath him to cover the rabbit. He was able to shroud small creatures, but it was in a way that blinded them and left them to roll to a stop. He lowered his head to crush the tiny animal, his shadow retreating back under him, and glanced up, white jaw stained with blood.

“And this is for you, my Lady,” Razoniel told Zynex after he’d dropped it at her feet. He wasn’t the smoothest wolf, but his awkwardly chosen words were outdone by the hopeful glimmer in his amber eye. Her title had not been said with stoic professionalism, but rather teasingly and, he hoped, sweetly. Inwardly he knew he was acting like a smitten pup, but she’d let him play with her under the moonlight once. She was used to him acting odd around her—well, more normal now to him than odd. He smiled weakly and looked at Yeti fleetingly, before curling his tail around his paws as he sat. “Ever pounced on crickets, pup?” he asked. He knew that play like that was good for hunting experience. A sly smile sparkling in his eye, he sent a small shadow to dart around the cub’s paws on the ground, trying to lure him into a chase.

[-zynêx-]

The youth and innocence of a pup never ceased to warm the hot-tempered fae's heart. And now was no exception. With a gentle smile on her muzzle she padded over to her charge, watching as he tried to mimic her breath of sparks. She chuckled softly and sat in front of her adoptive "son". "I don't think you are able to do it. Each wolf has their own special ability. Mine is Fire, just as Razoniel's is Shadow. You can be taught how to control an element, or you can wait for it to reveal itself to you. It's more of a feeling...something you instinctively know." Zynex recalled when she learned of her ability to conjure fire. It was purely by accident, but it was a fortunate one. She gave a small woof of laughter at her own embarrassing experience before granting the pup another loving swipe of her tongue between his ears. "Now please, save your questions for later and eat. You will need more energy for the coming days."

From the corner of her eye she spied her Beta's shadow taking flight toward an unfortunate meal and saw the male follow its path. The snap of bone rang in her ears as blood tingled her nose. The creature was dropped in front of her with a tease from the male...but she wasn't sure why he bothered. Had he sensed she was upset and wanted to mend their little 'friendship'? Well, such displays would do him no good. There was no point in her leading him anymore, for all her attempts would fail, she was certain. The wolf was dense as a rock when it came to understanding her feelings...or perhaps she didn't understand him as well as she assumed. She believed him to be a nice companion, but when it came to something more...all hints were taken in one ear and dashed out the other. It was infuriating to have all that effort wasted.

Zynex looked down at the broken creature then back to her hunting partner. She exhaled her held breath with a frustrated huff, then lowered her muzzle to take a nibble from the creatures ruby neck. "Thank you," she mumbled though not as enthusiastically as she was used to speaking around him. Taking another bite, she watched as he called the shadows to dance for the pup as a darting speck. She smirked. "Yeti, try catching it with one paw." If anything, this little exercise would test the pup's agility.

[Yeti]

The smell of blood was too much for the half-starved pup. As much as he tried to be polite and let Zynex answer his questions before he made a mess of himself, he couldn't. His body began to shake ever so slightly as he made the smallest of movements towards the cooling rabbit. He was careful to keep his eyes fixed on Zyn's. His mouth opened and he nibbled away some fur, sneezing occasionally as it brushed his damp nose. As he peeled away the skin and fur his eyes dropped. Tentatively at first he took a bite, tail wagging delightfully. He'd never had such a feast!

He would have loved to dive into the rabbit and devour but he held himself back to a more civil approach and settled for small chunks. He worked himself around a flank and finally hit bone. He growled fiercly and yanked it from the body, flopping backwards on his rumb. He growled once more and settled down, gnawing on the bloodied bone nub, attention devided between it and what Zynex was saying.

"Everyone has a power? Mm..." He closed his eyes, thinking hard. He began to shake, and an eye peeled back to peak; maybe something was happening? He frowned at the nothingness that occured. "What if I don't have one? Will I be abandoned again?" He blinked fretfully, his voice pinching higher. He looked abashed, his bloody muzzle half open in a soft whine. He knew he shouldn't fret but past actions told him to be cautious.

Unsure he looked away from Zyn and watched half-heartidly as Raze did his own hunting. Just like Zynex he was flawless in his actions and took down a rabbit with ease. Yeti felt awe and jealousy rise in his chest, dampened only by the fact he knew he'd be able to do that when he was properly trained. And older. He remained silent as the male presented his kill to his alpha. A thought occured to him: "Shouldn't you lick her? She licked me when she gave me her rabbit." He asked innocently, nibbling forgetfully on the bone. His tail thumped twice behind him.

He lost all train of thought and dropped the bone, intrigued by Raze's little shadow. "Of course I have, it's all I really ate." He replied in a matter-of-factly voice, getting up and hanging back, lowering himself into an unpracticed pounce crouch. He waggled his butt and lept, his paws flashing quickly after the darting black shadow. He was uncoordinated, but decently quick and managed to catch the black smudge quite often. He didn't have the paitence to try it one-pawed, as Zyn had suggested.

[viggo]

Oh yeah, she had bought it. Viggo's tail continued to wag comfortingly, however, he had the urge towag it more ferociously for other things. Soon he would turn this pack into exactly what Zynex had claimed it was: a harem. More precisely: his harem. The whole Beta male might get in the way of that though...

Vig was very proud of his body at current. Yes, he loved the fact he was dashingly handsome, but also that he had managed to control the raging torrent of pheromones as Zyn had suggested. Even though his generally scent was hormonal and his coat had the lingering scent on it, there was a realatively small dosage being emitted. Just enough to lure the prospective female(s) closer towards his mindset. And so far, he felt it was working.

Tawny paws padded through the scrubby brush towards an area he felt might bring luck in the food department. There was enough room for both wolves on the path at the same time, and as such, he dropped back to allow them to walk side by side. Viggo carefully allowed their shoulders to touch, as well as their tails occasionally. He wanted to know he was here and not queer. That he was ready and steady. That he was large and in charge. Etcetera.

Her scent was wonderful. He had noticed it before, but being here beside her made him want Zai all the more. Now to try and get the shy fey to agree to it. Huld would begin by calming her. Nerrezai seemed entirely too nervous in general, but so far, he had felt her emotions become more and more calm as he spoke. Perhaps it was the silky way he said her name or the fluidity of his compliments. Words had enormous power over the mind and especially the heart when placed in the correct order.

"Do you mind me asking how such a doll like you came to find Tytanus?" A pause entered the conversation before more of his words entered the air between them. "There's not much to my own story... I left home young and wandered until I got here. If not for my lightning element... well, let's just say there were some rough times... What's your element?"

[Ɽazǿniel.]

R A Z O N I E L !!

The shaggy black wolf had been smiling slightly and wagging his tail after dropping his catch at the paws of the leader, but his face fell when she glanced at him and simply huffed. She dipped her head to eat the meat with an unenthusiastic thank you. He hung back uncertainly, shoulders hunched with shame, for what he did not know. He did not feel his age or like the second-in-command of some powerful pack such as this. He felt worthless—and the sorrow struck him when he was unprepared for it, making him strain to keep his paws where they were and not run off to sulk. He wanted to demand why she was upset with him and what was on her mind, but coldly he reminded himself that, as her subordinate, it was not his place to press her.

Yeti voiced an innocent question which almost made Razoniel laugh and do as was suggested. Almost. Instead, he shifted very slightly toward the female, hesitated, thought better of it, and settled on his haunches decidedly. “Not sure she’d take to that, pup,” he said in a bit of a mutter. If she was going to brush him off, he shouldn’t really try. Try to do what, he was still struggling to understand. He wanted her companionship now more than ever, but their original playfulness and kind words did not seem to be quite right. He preferred the feel and smell of her during their tussle, the soft sweep of her tongue under his chin.

He laughed as the dark cub pounced forward on the speck. He let the shadow falter at times so that it could be caught, but he found that he did not have to let him win often. He was able to catch it a couple of times by himself. Impressed, the beta noted that he must have practiced—but that was the thought that saddened him. He would have had to be abandoned by his mother, or perhaps his mother had been killed. Razoniel had seen such sob stories left and right, and was thankful that the deaths of his own family had been more natural. He had protected them enough.

As he watched, amber eye glittering with mirth, he redirected the shadow to fall around Zynex’s paws. He smiled at her in a subdued way, his slightly hurt feelings clear but not shoved at her. However, a glint of onyx caught his gaze, and the speck paused for a second as he took a step toward the alpha female. She had a stone cuff around her ankle. He’d seen wolves with jewelry before, but hadn’t seen her as the kind to go out of her way to pretty herself up. She didn’t need it. However, the dark bangle was simple and beautiful at the same time.

“How did you manage to get that?” He looked up at her, trying to meet her eyes. The small shadow, forgotten, flattened out then began to dart around again lazily, shifting into the shapes of lizards and fish and rabbits.

[-zynêx-]

The pup's question stirred an unknown feeling in the belly of the female. It was not pity, but rather sadness that he would assume such a fate would befall him just for not having an ability. She smiled down at the child, it was a loving, truthful expression. "Dear, you needn't worry about being abandoned. Whether you have a power or not you are welcome in this pack, as long as you decide to make this your home." Her tail gave a hopeful wag as she continued to watch the pup enjoy his meal. She was quite surprised he hadn't gorged himself, seeing that he hadn't eaten anything proper in days. But she admired his attempt at etiquette and let him continue to feed in his own way.

His second inquire however incited a different reaction in her stomach. A flutter in her belly that was followed by an unfamiliar warmth. Him...lick her? The notion was ridiculous, and like hell she wouldn't have let him do it. Not after the dense act he pulled. There was once a time when she wouldn't have minded that contact. But now she wanted nothing to do with it, not if it meant he was simply acting that way out of friendship. Metallic gems noted the subtle shift in his position and equally saw as he kept himself still, his intent to move now thought better of.

The rabbit lay untouched by her feet though her stomach ground against itself demanding nourishment. Zynex was concentrating hard on keeping her stomach's qualms silent, so much so that she jumped slightly when addressed by her Beta. "What?" she asked absently, she trying to gather what he was referring to. She followed his gaze to her foreleg. "Oh. This.. I found it wedged between a rock and thought, 'why not?' Why? You don't like it?" As the words left her muzzle, the Alpha was quite perplexed by her defensive tone. Since when was she on the defensive in front of her Beta? Perhaps this change in attitude toward him wouldn't fair too well...

[Yeti]

"I'll try my best to find my power." he chirped earnestly. He didn't want to be boring and without one. Zyn's fire breathing and Raze's shadow ability were cool: he wanted one. He had no clue how to go about discovering it, but he figured he could find time later, by himself, to sit and try an assortment of things. Or, like Zyn said, perhaps it would just simply come to him and he wouldn't have to worry. He only hoped his element was as cool as the two elder wolves'.

He took another bite of the rabbit, a rather large chunk, and embarassedly nursed it into his mouth, figuring bits of it hanging out were...not sightly. "I can make this my home? I can be in the pack? He blinked, nibbling now on the side of his lip. "But what would I do - or be? My mother told me about packs and she said puppies were useless in them if the alphas did not want them." He looked confused. Zyn had said she was in charge, so maybe he really could be part of the pack. But still, what he would do he knew not.

He turned from female to male and frowned at Raze. "I like it. She might. Wouldn't hurt to try." He muttered back, leaping to his feet. Brashly, he ran up and lept up, placing his front to paws on either one of Zyn's shoulders. He licked her uncerimoniously on the nose, smiled encouragingly at Raze, and hopped back.

Subdued, Yeti had chased the flickering black shadow relentlessly for quite some time. He was pleased to see he wasn't doing half bad, but as was expected, he skid and saumersaulted over himself now and again. His paws were often the culprit to blame, too big and awkward for his still growing body. He didn't let that discourage him and would kick and wiggle after it until he eventually pushed himself up on all fours again and the chased continued. It wasn't until Razoniel veered the shadow towards Zynex did he stop. He had almost ran head-long into the female's front leg, but managed to stop short, staring. He too was perplexed with the band around her ankle. His head tilted. He hadn't heard or seen any wolves with unusual things - such as the jewlery - but he thought little of it. "It's pretty." He said simply, liking how it was onyx, like his coat.

[Ɽazǿniel.]

R A Z O N I E L !!

The black cub assured him that it wouldn’t hurt to try, but Razoniel shook his head at him again as he caught the cool glint of her eyes when she watched his movement. Something told him that she wouldn’t like it, that it wasn’t the time. Why, he could not understand, and his brow was wrinkled in saddened puzzlement as he viewed her. But he had to chuckle and smile a little when Yeti scampered over to the female and put his paws on her, giving her a lick. She surely would adore that. Her behavior toward the young newcomer was nothing but motherly affection and warmth. It would have made him jealous at her unconditional love for the little creature, had he not felt at least a warm like for the pup.

He wanted to take back his averted attention when he saw the dark bundle nearly crash into the alpha’s legs, but when the pup seemed about to tumble he merely reached out with his grizzled muzzle to right him again. Yeti stopped before he crashed, making the movement unnecessary, and the older male’s gold eye glinted with amusement and apology. Someone else had apparently taken notice of Zynex’s new accessory, though when he first pointed it out, she seemed defensive, self-conscious, as if he hadn’t liked it.

Razoniel blinked at her in confusion at her tone then smiled gently, his tail swaying lightly at his back. “It’s beautiful,” he said simply, glancing at the simple angles of rock and the easy curve of the circular band around her leg. “It suits you well,” he added, peering up at her in an almost shy but somewhat clever fashion as he attempted to compliment her as well.

Whatever stronger emotion he was feeling, he knew there was a level of attraction between them. Or at least he had felt the spark back when they had played, trying to deny that it meant anything. But somehow her playful eagerness had faded away, leaving him confused as to why she was angry. The beta wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted from the pretty alphess, but he knew she had to forgive him for whatever he did before he could be happy. Either that, or he wanted his own beyond-friend affection for her to fade if it was no use. He wanted to make up his mind somehow, but no matter what path he chose, she had to think kindly of him again. No matter what else, he did not want to lose Zynex as a friend.