The sky grew darker, not only from the fading daylight but from the thick grey clouds that hovered above. Having made it through the boggy lands of the Cladstine Brook he had travelled north. His encounter with Sagacity still on his mind, hurt by the way he had to leave things and confused that he had yet another son in the world. That was what, 5 children he knew about and 2 he didn't - all of which assumed he was dead. Nice. Most likely it was better off that way, he was no role model nor did he ever claim to be, but it was still a pretty sore subject to think that he had spawn walking the earth and no way to access them for his own bidding.
He glanced to the mountain in the distance. The place he used to call his home. Used to, because he had not been there in so long. He had very little doubt that the pack would fall with his vanishing act. Naira would lead them and though it pained him to admit it, even to his own mind, she’d have done a good job of it too. He had no reason to think that the pack would have fallen into disarray, after all, with the affair he had been having with Sagacity, the pack scout at the time, he had kept to himself and the pack borders rather than involving himself in the community. Heck, even his son Datura didn’t know he was his father and they had spent weeks together then just ignoring one another. Adonis knew the truth now, and Rhysis believed that the young boy had made his way back home after all this time. The boy was depressing but he was his son, a clever boy, so there was little doubt that the boy had become lost upon the way and had delivered the message of what had happened, that they had been ambushed and he and Valiant had been taken prisioner to a pack of wolves, crazed with rabies and blaming Rhysis for it. Yeah, load of crazies that they were. And yet… no rescue mission had come to find him. No sights or smells of his loyal pack had some to his aid which left him with two conclusions – that Adonis had not made it home or that they had not wanted to see him rescued. In truth it stung to think that they would abandon him to a fate worse then death but he would most likely have done the same. The loss of one life made more sense then the loss of an entire pack… but it still scorned like a bitch and he would one day make his way back there to find out just what the hell had happened to his rescue team.

Back in the here and now, the lanky wolf looked worse then he ever had in his life. Half starved and running only on sheer willpower and adrenaline after making his escape but a week ago, he had managed to find his way back into the lands of lore. The current weather however was making life more and more difficult and being the smart wolf he was, he knew he would not have much time left fending for himself. He was weak, sick with a fever, ravenous to the point of madness despite the meal he had a few days ago and torn and bruised in places he didn’t even know he had. He hadn’t feel in such bad shape since he was a puppy and he had dared to question his father’s madness. What was it with all the crazy wolves in his life? Bitches be crazy. Father’s be crazy and even friggin’ strangers be friggin’ crazy.


The levels of the land began to ebb away as he finally found himself on slightly higher ground, moving alongside what looked like a creek through the border of trees. Though the dim light was thick, he could make out the expanse of a flat water, riddled with rocks and valley's - a pretty place, even with the harsh winds which blew and destroyed the waters surface. Around the edge the trees were thick, with deep roots. One of those trees would make a perfect place to take cover in the storm and wait out the terrible snow which would soon fall, only to wake and hope to find a decent meal. With what energy he could muster, he took a step towards the pack borders, unbeknown to him that another pack lived here. His nose still filled with the dirt of the hole he had been jailed in, his stomach groaning beyond all distraction and dulling his most basic senses, not to mention the delirium that came with being half starved and having spent the last four or so months in a hole in the ground.

He was no longer a Nomad, but instead a nomad.

With a final push of energy he stepped heavily across the crispy leaves and headed towards the trees which lined the creak. His eyes scanning the shadows for any place which might fit his body so that he might rest his head for just a moment.

So close. He'd been so close to the small gap between a set of thick tree roots and what appeared to be an old, used fox den which had long been dug out. It was going to be a squeeze but so long as he could curl up he was certain he could have remained unnoticed throughout the night. Yet as he made his final approach he realised he was not alone. As if from no where a burly white male appeared. He might have missed him at he not announced his presence, what with his nose on the fritz and the white wolf having the luxury of blending with the snow that fell around them. With his back to the male, he rolled his eyes, took a deep breath and turned somewhat awkwardly to reveal his face. It was show time.

Recognising the dominant stance with which the male carried himself, he didn't need to listen to the words to know that this chap was in charge around here. It was his own fault for not paying attention to the borders; though he had not yet trespassed he figured he was pretty close for the guy to have sought him out so swiftly. As reluctant as he felt, after all he was more of a king then this guy, he lowered his ears (or what was left of them) to his skull and lowered his body towards the cold floor. It hurt like a bitch, but it was a nessecary move. He would not survive the winter alone. He'd done it once, but he had been younger then and not in such bad shape. He was smart enough to know he needed shelter before the snow got worse and it could be weeks before he run into another pack. No, he had to impress this guy enough so that he might take shelter here for the winter, recover his strength before the spring came and he could finally have his revenge and Naira's tongue for a trophy.

"Sorry mate, I think they've busted up my nose." he muttered, his usual strong southern drawl was more of a croaky whisper thanks to a very bruised wind pipe. "I didn't mean to stray so close without introducing myself." he continued, ensuring to avert his gaze to the floor as not to seem a challenge. "My name is Caleb." he said, the lie falling with ease from his tongue; he could not give his real name after all and could only hope that this pack was far away enough from those who really knew him to call him out on the lie and if they did, well he'd have to play dumb - maybe he could be an imaginary twin or something. One thing at a time; he had to get accepted first. "I'm here in search of some place to call home."

Phineas. He'd never heard of the name, but it was only over the last year that he had begun to travel further and further east. There were plenty of strangers here it seemed and that was good. It meant there was less of a chance of running into someone who knew all about him, the likes of Triell or Nina; perhaps even Athena. He could not face being outed just yet. He needed shelter before the snowstorms got worse. A meal in his belly and a cache to raid when he felt unsatisfied. For the time being, he was no longer a King. Though he was sure he would reclaim his throne soon, for now he would accept his role as skivvy and allow himself to be this fellows pawn. So long as he was accepted of course. Looking at the alabaster male before him, he was fit, well fed and strong. He had a good quality of life- something Rhysis wanted in on.

"I didn't catch their names. There was a group of them; I think I counted five in total. Bunch of adolescant nomad's thought I looked like good sport." he saidwith a shrug of his shoulders and a tip of his head. It was so wrong, how effortlessly his lies came. Once his mouth opened they began to stream out, one after the other, building up a story that even he might have believed were he not the one spinning the tall tale. "You think I look bad? You should see what I did to them." he remarked with a smirk; knowing full well that he would have been no match for five youths. He would assume the other male would realised that too and see his vain attempt at a joke to lighten to the mood about his situation. However he never had been very good at jokes, but he figured his alter-ego would find them amusing. If you were going to be in character, you might as well do it well.


He decided to play himself more friendly then his usual personality, but not overly so that he might fall into the goody-two shoes category. He was a male who did as he was told, kept himself busy and made a well timed comment once in a while. Yes, it would be easy enough to keep up and different enough so that no ties to his true identity would be made.
"I'll cut to the chase 'cos I don't like to mince words and I know you're a busy man. I need a place to stay. Granted, I'm not in good shape right now, but I can assure you my skills are sound despite my current...ah, condition. I can be an asset to your pack in exchange for food and shelter and I'm happy to pull my weight and follow your law." he said, succeeding in not grinding his teeth, despite the urge, at the words only because he knew how desperate he was to get into the white wolf's pack and starting to heal himself. Revenge was pointless if you were too dead to claim it.

Success. Inwardly he was rubbing his hands together and cackling, on the outside he held his composure and nodded at the invitation. He would not have to survive this winter alone as he had done two years ago now. He would take what he needed from the pack and head out in the spring to take his former mates life. It was a very good plan. Sure, he might leave this guy scorned when he upped and left but well, he would just add him to the list of wolves who wanted to see him hang. Afterall, things might change. Maybe they'd bond over stories of heartache, hug it out and be BFF's forever - doubtful but you never could tell what would happen in the future. Besides, with Valiant gone, he needed at least one ally he could count on. Time would tell.

"I'm most grateful." he replied with a nod before he followed the white man's averted gaze and he looked towards their homeland. Now the trail had been pointed out the scent was clear - like a yellow brick road that would lead him to his winter residence. Noting the path, he noticed just how close it was to the water of the creek. With the falling snow, he figured he should high tail it out of here before it began to melt. He didn'tmuch fancy drowning.

The offer of a healer was very kind, but he wouldn't make use of her. He could heal himself just fine now he wouldn't have to wander the lands aimlessly. A few days of rest and good food would see him well. Most of them were cosmetic rather than life threatening. It appeared his kidnappers had wanted him to suffer for a long time, rather then ending him quickly. No point offing him before they had their fun.

The male didn't lead him home though, like he had been expecting. The guy wanted to chat. To pry. Nosy bugger. His question made him inwardly smirk. His pack? Which one? He'd been a part of five packs since his birth. Six if you included his most recent residency where he played prisoner. Still, he had to cut all ties to his old life. There was no going back now. "I just outgrew them. I lived with my family up until a few months ago. It was just time to move on out I guess." he replied with a roll of his shoulder. The guy had better get a move on. He was sick of grovelling on the floor and he wasn't exactly a lover of small talk. He knew he had a part to play, and he would play it, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it.

The deed was done. He had shelter for winter and as the snow continued to fall around him he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. Rhysis was above all else, a survivor and the crook always found himself back on his feet. It was one of his best qualities; being desperate and not proud enough to lower himself to grovel. He would play his part in the pack and bide his time. Its not like anyone was out looking for him. His run in with Sagacity had left the only link to his past and for some reason he knew she wouldn't not speak of him, not when she had so much at stake after revealing he had yet another son in the world. He had something to black mail her with should she reveal his location and he doubted that Naira would care to hear how the packs second had her wicked way with her mate... or that her son had been lied to that his biological parents were dead. Heck, even he thought that was twisted- poor kid.



As the fitter male stood, he followed in silence. There wasn't much else to talk about, on his part anyway. He braced himself as their scents mingled; hating the smell of another on his skin and not the other way around but there was plenty of time for that. He had learned the hard way that good things came to those who waited. He might have been knocked from his throne again, but he would climb back on there as soon as the time was right. For now, he was part of the creek wolves and under his hidden identity he would attempt to fit in. Not his usual style but it appeared he was short of a pack to watch his back. Maybe this Caleb persona would be more likeable and when the time came, he could march up the mountain with blind followers... Time would tell.