[ Worth One's Merit ]-Postponed

[-zynêx-]

The tread back to the canyon was quicker than their leave from it, as the female was rushing to the land with a purpose, an intent. Carrying her charge delicately in her jaws, she flew over the land as if her paws had wings. Piston-limbs pumped with strength and precision drawing her closer tot he enclosed domain. Once heavy paws touched the rocky ground, she knew she was home again. Accordingly, she paused her gallant gait and lowered her pup to his own feet. She licked him gently then nudged him forward. "Come," she spoke softly, "Carry yourself as a prince on your own feet. You will meet the pack now, and they will see you are a special asset to us all." She smiled lovingly and licked Yeti once more between the ears.

Stepping around, she continued on a slowly pace into the belly of the canyon, ears erect and trained for sign of her subordinates. And eagerness gripped the female, for what she had in store would certainly rouse some excitement among her comrades. Sparks danced around her muzzle as she exhaled the collected air she hadn't known she was holding. Trotting to the earthen wall, she stopped and looked behind to her pup, her stance inviting for him to rest near her as they waited.

This would prove to be an eventful afternoon...she was sure of it.

[viggo]

ooc: I'm responding here, and I am continuing Viggo and Zai here as well. It seemed easiest.

ic:
Why would any wolf deny such compliments? This disbelief was both absurd and annoying. Viggo was having to work entirely too hard. It seemed very apparent that Nevermore required different tactics, and much longer, more subtle approach to winning the fey. At least she did take it upon herself to eat first as he had offered. The annoyance at him in her voice was plain enough, but he ignored it in favor of her smiling posture that had resulted in the compliment of her skills.

He was truthful in his comments on her element. Never before had he seen someone with Shadow powers use them so effectively. It continued to amazing the lightning male that no mark was left on the prey from her powers, whereas when he hunted with power it resulted in cooked and generally singed food. Truly he was impressed. However, he could tell just what she spke: that she needed to work on it. If she began to excel at such an ability it would be frightening; he was glad he was on her side packwise.

A melodious howl rent the air as Zynex called her brethern together again Snatching a quick bite from the rabbit, Viggo headed off down the trail back the way the pair had came. He paused momentarily to assure himself that Nerrezai was following (she had, after all, indicated their direction before he moved) before making his way down the path. Sandy soil shifted slightly [ooc: alliteration! woot] beneath tawny paws, but the journey was a swift and easy one.

Tail wagging, he appeared in the clearing to find Zynex, her beta (ugh) and that puppy (double ugh). Some sort of joyous agreement filled the air, and he was unsure just what it was, but it made him nervous. It was as if the scales had shifted and Viggo was now the loser in a situation where he had previous been slated as a victor. Cautiously with his ever confident smile adorning his maw, he approached Zynex, his alphess.

[Ɽazǿniel.]

R A Z O N I E L !!

Holding the dangling rabbit in his jaws, Razoniel closed his eyes and just let his senses take over. Sunlight burned past his eyelids, outlining his dark world with red. Blood seeped with its bitter but welcome tang on his tongue. He could hear paws leaving the meadow and heading off to the canyon, and each muscle shivered with energy as he spun around, one foot placed in front of the other, to follow his leader back to the pack. At her howl, he set the rabbit down and kept it there with a paw, tugging away strips of flesh urgently. The meeting would not go on without him, but he did not want to be late for any reason. Once he had swallowed a couple of mouthfuls, truly wolfing them down, he shoved the remnants of the carcass in a crack in the stones and hoped no other predator would find it, so that someone could return to it later. He hated to waste—especially time. Ears perked up with sudden alarm, he broke out into a sprint back on the well-worn paths to the earthen corridors where Zynex’s song had echoed.

He lolled his tongue in a pant as he headed through the familiar brown-walled tunnel. Excitement was a crackle in the air, probably left behind by his leader. Her unforgettable scent was laced with an eagerness that he knew had no relation to him. The black wolf blinked and continued, falling into a steady jog, and stepped out into the open space of the canyon. He smelt the smoke on her breath as he approached her. Zynex waited with the dark cub beside her, eyes expectant for the rest of her pack to join her. Her beta dipped his head as he walked forward, and as he turned to sit a distance away from her, he brushed her cheek with his nose. The gesture appeared completely friendly and was meant that way, though the smile quirking the side of his mouth when he sat a few feet away told of something else. Now was no time to indulge in this attraction between them; his face and mind were set on the pack, obvious by his attentive stance and the patience reflected in his molten-amber eye.

A tawny form appeared through the tunnel soon after, the handsome young male who was a newcomer to Tytantus. Razoniel had bristled before at the thought of this younger soldier and what place he would serve in the pack; he’d been a threat. He glanced at Viggo calmly and moved out of the way when his path barred the way to his leader. His expression was complete patience; he trusted Zynex enough to know that his rank would not be endangered by this new face. He let himself look the wolf over, trying to find where his advantages lied, which was hard when he was not aware of his element. But it wasn’t the beta’s time to speak right now. He twisted his body forward again to face where more wolves would soon trickle into the canyon, preparing himself for what made Zynex so eager.

[Yeti]

The young male's gold-green eyes stared lazily at the ground, peeking around his uplifted muzzle. Below him the grassy tundra suddenly disapeared as it whizzed by and was replaced by the unfamiliar rock of the canyon. He felt his belly clench; he knew up ahead there would be a pack gathering. He knew that, as a part of this pack and Zynex's adoptive son, he had to take part. He would just have to get over his fear of crowds and others. He mulled it over, sulking a bit, and nibbled his cheek into his mouth.

He abuptly fell and looked about as Zyn set him down. His mind had been elsewhere. Quickly righting himself he glanced up at the lovely female with a soft smile, growling lovingly as she swiped him with a few licks. He nodded to what she said, and feeling a bit more confident now that he was properly fed, took a breath and felt his chest swell a little as he walked. He kept his tail where it normally was: brushing his heels; but his head and ears were a little more erect that what he normally carried them at. But by no means was he being arrogant, simply taking the alpha's advice and donig his best princely walk.

As he neared her he felt the air crackle. His fur stood on end and he felt his spine inadvertantly shiver. He looked about for a moment or two over his shoulder before near Zyn. He watched as Razoniel entered, and watched after him, not noticing the tawny male until he was approaching both him and the alphess. He promptly felt intimidated and scootered over to the beta, pressing his flank against his as he sat.

[-zynêx-]

The female waited patiently with her pup alongside for the pack to collect itself. She knew there were few still skulking around the land, and it would only be a matter of time before they heeded her call and joined her in the canyon. As she expected Razoniel was prompt in his appearance, seemingly in better spirits, if more so than when he went off to hunt for himself.

Pale grey eyes looked hastily to the male, a light fluttering sensation caused her head to dip away as a warming feeling enveloped her body. His little nuzzle against her cheek was all the female could withstand before exploding bashfully. Thankfully, her inner expressions did not show upon that calm, collected facade. Instead she smiled softly to her companion, her eyes perhaps lingering too long on the male as she thought of his words to her adopted son. She was positively giddy.

Within minutes, the onyx fleshed tip of her muzzle turned in direction of a pleasing scent as it wafted to her nares. Sturdy frame gave a slight tremor as another, unfamiliar wave caressed her form. Viggo's ability to literally turn on any female would get him into trouble one day, more so in the mating season that any other time. But she was sure once he had had his rut and his pheromones died down, he would be socially tolerable. But that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy the scent while he was around. It was a shame her Beta never excreted such an alluring aroma. It was often little things like that that made she female wonder if he was interested at all...let alone had a sex-drive.

Zynex shook her head roughly of the inappropriate thoughts, and instead regarded the tawny male with a sly upturn of her maw and a wag of her tail. The scent of her subordinate Nerrezai delicately covered the male, but it was a side-effect of acquainting himself and being near her. She let it slide. "Nice for you to join us Viggo..", her eyes briefly sweeping over the lustrous frame of the male. "I'm afraid playtime for all of us is over." Attention now was directed to all. "I believe it is time for a little sparring. Each of you is to battle another to test your skill and train yourselves. Due try to learn something from the other...and try not to kill each other." She looked expectantly from Razoniel to Viggo. "I would like the both of you to spar against each other... Do either of you have a problem with that?" The question was rhetorical in nature as she was sure neither male would rebut her proclamation, but...it would still fun to watch them squirm. She smiled knowingly.

[Ɽazǿniel.]

R A Z O N I E L !!

Amber gaze drifting around the canyon, the beta waited patiently for anyone else to show up. What his leader had on her mind was still escaping him, but he supposed that he would find out soon enough. Of course he did not miss her eyes lingering on him—the heat on his fur from their stare was almost enough to make him shiver. But he was going to control himself. He was always in control of his feelings as long as someone wasn’t in danger. It was why he had never skipped off with some she-wolf before, though he could only remember one who had caught his fancy, which had been when he was just growing into adulthood. Now mature enough to handle it, he let nothing show as he sat like a loyal statue in the canyon.

Something soft and warm pressed up against him, and the black wolf nearly jumped before recognizing the scent of the cub. He turned to look at Yeti and smiled, giving him an encouraging nuzzle behind the ears. He was a bit uncomfortable with the idea of “fathering” this child, but that was just the normal jitters and doubts that any father would have. He wasn’t going to lavish all his affection on him, though; Zynex did enough of that for the two of them. He was about to ask what Yeti was frightened or shy of, when he met Viggo’s gaze.

He frowned lightly but the expression turned alert as the alpha female spoke from the side of them. His ears perked up as she mentioned sparring; that was something he’d done enough, but why it would matter now escaped him. He started to open his mouth and ask if this was merely a test or if it was preparation for a greater movement. Then, he caught her last words: “I would like the both of you to spar against each other… Do either of you have a problem with that?”

Razoniel never answered her. In one motion, he gently nudged Yeti away from him and leapt to his feet before feinting toward the tawny male. Though his body twisted away to gain some distance and size his opponent up, his shadow still flew at the new soldier, aiming to startle but not to completely blind this time. Judging Viggo was faster than him, he hoped that the fake-attack had startled him enough before rushing forward. He dropped open his jaw and aimed to catch him on the shoulder, not so much to shear flesh off but to knock him over.

[radium]

radium walked carefully down into the canyon, following the sound of a howl that called the pack there. upon arriving, she came upon a gathering of four other wolves; the alphess, beta, a fellow guardian, and a pup. she observed the quartet of tytanus wolves from afar. she sat just out of sight to see how they interacted and noticed that the two males were about to spar.

radium made her way toward the quartet and sat beside the alphess, giving a respectful nod in her direction. she nodded to the males and then gave the pup a slight lick on the muzzle. she spoke in a soft voice to the alphess. "good morning, zynex. how are you today?" while she was speaking to the alphess the fight began with raze making the first move.

she watched with intrest as he took care not to permanatly injure his pack mate. she would observe this for when her turn to spar came. she would need to take care not to bite them, for fear of poisoning them. she allowed her tail to wag gently back and forth, scraping the ground ever-so-slightly. she broke her attention from the sparring to look at the alphess for an answer to her question.

it was a good thing that radium was in a good mood and outnumbered, or she would not be quite so polite. radium let her attention wander to the fight once more as she admired the bodies of the two fighters. their muscles were toned and they were both something to look at. she smiled slightly as she watched them. she observed every feature of their bodies as she tried to determine the powers of each. she failed at determining their powers, but she knew they were rather powerful ones. she finally broke her attention from the fighters and once again looked to the alphess.

notes: epic FAILURE!
words: 311

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[nerrezai]

The shadow-elemental had indeed followed directly behind her companion, but proved easy to distract. At the slightest of sounds, the wolfess would whip her head in the direction of the noise and stop short. She was on the lookout for quarry, after all. However, Nerrezai eventually hung back a ways in order to take in the scenery and contemplate Viggo’s words. Maybe he was telling the truth. Maybe he was lying through his teeth. Whatever it was, it had dawned on the she-wolf that she was beginning to feel… vaguely confident due to the numerous compliments she had received from him. Or was it hormones and attraction that welled up in her chest? Oh well, she’d know some day.

The grey she-wolf watched on with a vacant expression as Viggo trotted off and out of her view, concealed by the numerous rocks of the canyon. Huffing for reasons that she herself didn’t know, she took that moment to bask in the sunlight. Zynex’s howl was meant to beckon her members to the canyon’s entrance, if Nerrezai could recall that type of tone. Who knew what lay beyond those rocks. The Tytanus, she was sure, must be a decent sized pack, but exactly how many wolves were there? Intimidated, she decided it was better to take a peek then just jump in belatedly.

Tentatively approaching the stone, she glanced around to analyze the numbers and felt relieved it was only Zynex, Razoniel, Yeti, and Viggo. All wolves she was acquainted with. Still, she was used to the sole company of her sister, and almost preferred that over the pack. Then again, Zynex did call for a reason.

Nerrezai trotted swiftly in the direction of the group, eager to watch as Razoniel, her mentor, and Viggo, her crush, sparred. Her lope soon slowed as Radium entered, however. Another she-wolf, and hopefully nothing like Aya. Would she be coming? The shadow elemental simply glanced her direction, then turned her attention on Zynex.

“Am I late?” Her inquiry was hushed, as if embarrassed.

[-zynêx-]

Though she had been expecting immediate compliance to her will, she was startled to see Razoniel take such an active step in this spar and initiate it without question. Her ears perked, alert and attentive as the male began his attack on the tawny newcomer. She had faith he wouldn't damage the younger male too much, but was still concerned for the well-being of both. But this was training, scrapes and bruises were to be expected. She trusted both knew how to limit themselves though.

Detouring her gaze from the pair she looked upon Radium, another addition to their growing family. A sheepish looking fae, though she imagined there was more than the little one let on. She dipped her head in acknowledgment to her soldier. "I am quite well dear." Her tone was soft, yet firm, a subtle gesture that there was little time for small talk, for the day was half gone and there was much to accomplish.

Shortly after Radium's arrival, Nerrezai's scent came within range and the body followed. The female looked rather rested, though flustered for some reason. The autumn fae did not miss the glance the young Grey took toward her Beta and Viggo and couldn't help but wonder exactly what was on the female's mind. She raised a skeptic brow but silenced the brewing inquiry. "No, you are right on time actually," she assured the fae. "Now, today is out training day. Until the rest of the pack arrives, the two of you will spar with me. I expect both of you to work together and learn from the other. We will go on until the sun sets or until either of you tire. Either of your may have the first strike, but understand that the more assertive will be treated easier.." The corner of her lips rose in a smirk. Lowering her head toward her pup, she licked him between the ears then nudged him closer to the wall as she stepped around him. "Little one, if something troubles you, don't hesitate to call for me." She gave the little darling another affectionate lick then trotted off further into the belly of the canyon, expecting the females to follow or at least commence an attack of some kind.

[Yeti]

Yeti hadn't known what to expect when Zynex called the meeting; he knew there would be many wolves, but what they would be discussing had been a mystery. He'd moved from his adoptive mother to his adopted father, weary of the quickly gathering number of wolves. He soon found that neither could offer him comfort at the moment. He'd been nudged from Razoniel's side and took a few steps towards Zyn as the black male stood and promptly began to attack the other male. Yeti had witnessed plently of fights on his own between an assortment of various creatures so it didn't bug him, he simply moved away.

He sat down elsewhere and watched as Zynex talked to the two remaining females. He understood what she said and what she expected of him as she gave him a few licks between the ears and placed him carefully along the canyon wall. Not comfortable on the ground with so many sparring wolves, he glanced up. Not too far up along the stone wall was a large number of over hangs and crags. He found a low hanging one and stood up on his hind legs, front paws grappling with the wall to find foot holds. After much wiggling and grunting he'd managed to get his front paws on the top of the cliff and began lifting himself up, back paws clawing and kicking the whole while. He'd slipped a few times but had managed to get his body on the stone. Tired from his lack of proper nutrition he simply laid himself down in a tight circle to watch. He'd already been taught a few hunting tips today, he figured he might as well watch the fighting and learn a thing or two there.

He wanted to be an asset to the pack, not just get in the way and have to be cared for; silently he vowed to become an excellent wolf at both hunting and fighting.