I seem capable enough. Yet again, Peirus found himself fighting back a sneer. Give him a few days, and he would seem more than capable enough - but he let himself smiled and dip his head gratefully, molding his body to look the part of the humble stranger who had not really expected to be invited to try for a place within the pack. “Then I shall search out your pack, and with any luck I may be accepted among your number.” Thanks was needed here and surely expected, after all, and his words served the added purpose of letting his thoughts remain hidden behind his sincere mask.

Angier and her mother have the final say. If the rulers of this pack of mutts behave the way they ought to, then I have been recruited by more than a mere scout. The idea certainly made Morganna a more enticing find in that regard; even Kings and Queens who lorded over mindless hounds were still possessed of the ability to rule. Any children spawned by such wolves would carry that same ability in their blood, even if it was never fostered or sharpened... which was not to say Morganna had not paid any energy towards refining it in herself. The fiasco with the sturgeon aside, he had not seen enough of her to make that kind of call just yet.

All this passed through his mind with the speed of lightning, and his thoughts were interrupted as he watched Morganna turn her own gaze to the north. Though he kept his face neutral, suspicion flared within the older wolf at the sight. Was she being deceitful? Lying, perhaps, about the true location of her pack? Whether than jump to a conclusion that might ruin this careful encounter, Peirus let his features smooth into another politely interested smile as he said, “I believe I shall remain here for a time, however, and attempt to sharpen myself again before I make my way to the Willows. I will leave upon the ides, I think - unless it is imperative that I arrive as soon as possible." He dipped his head, again feigning hesitancy as he asked, "Forgive me if I seem to be prying, but what of you, Morganna? Will you be returning home as well, or is your errand beyond the pack unfinished?”

Her reaction to his question would be incredibly important. Depending upon how she chose to respond - or how she rather brushed his question away - he would have a better idea of whether or not her directions could be trusted. And should his question offend her when she had been honest after all, he would still come away from this encounter with information he could use. At the end of the day, the important thing was that a benefit was gleaned from the situation regardless of its overall outcome, and as of yet, Peirus did not see a great many ways that this could possibly end without leaving him some tasty morsel in return. It was simply a matter of what price would be paid for how much of a morsel.

Peirus nodded, leaning back a bit as though to physically remove himself from the woman's business. Those sounded like two somewhat opposing answers - if her business was her own, why share any of it? If she was simply keeping an eye on those she called her enemies, why was her first instinct to tell him (in not so many words) to leave the matter alone? Perhaps she was sharp enough not to trust that a stranger to her must be a stranger to those she despised; if that was the case, Peirus could respect the wisdom in her behavior, though he looked down on the inconsistency.

"My apologies," he told the younger wolf. "I only asked for the sake of curiosity." And really, my dear, if you must lie, you should at least do it well, the Asurn whispered in his thoughts. And if you are being honest, you should strive for consistency in the way you answer someone, lest you be thought a liar. Ah, well; he supposed there was simply no expecting some wolves to be crafty. He hid his growing disdain behind an apologetic smile and a gentle tilt of his head.

That smile grew at Morganna's next comment - the closest to a genuine smile he had allowed himself to display thus far, one full of amusement and tempered only slightly with well-crafted genteel. "I dare say you will, Morganna," he commented, his voice warm with good humor. "Still, I will not shirk the opportunity to rest for a moment before continuing on. No wolf is made of stone." That is, after all, why mutts are so impossibly easy to break.

In any event, her behavior had him more determined now than before to wait for a few days or so before seeking out young Morganna's pack. This lagoon seemed a reasonably sheltered area in spite of the woman's very obvious anxiety, and perhaps lingering here would allow him to meet a more... trustworthy wolf. If not, hesitancy in this situation would still prove beneficial: Here he had food, water, and shelter at the ready. If there were predators in the area, none had been by recently enough for their stench to remain as more than a faded ghost of its former potency. If another wolf happened by, he would be here, awaiting whatever news or opportunities they brought to him.

The thought that he may wait too long before seeking out the pack in the Willows did not concern him in the slightest; it would be a momentary irritation at best if he found the pack unable to accept any more members. If there was one pack here, there must be others. Mutts had a nasty habit of herding themselves within a few days or so of each other's pack, crying out against their neighbors as enemies one moment and then crawling to them for aid or shelter the next. He had seen it among other packs he had passed by. Surely it was no different here, and surely there were more useful wolves about than this girl-child before him.