The tension was killing him, each second dragged on like an eternity and the longer Drestig thought about it the more Askan couldn't help but feel as though he'd overstepped his mark. Had he been too bold, too presumptuous to think he deserved such a title? Askan didn't think so, but then again of course he wouldn't. He'd put in the hard work, surely Drestig could see that...

But then again, even though he hadn't meant to he had inadvertently caused a lot of trouble for the pack. His prickly nature had made fast work of getting their relations with their neighbours off to a bad start. Things had improved somewhat as of late, but the marks still remained, as did their prejudices. So perhaps this would be his punishment, more than just a proverbial slap on the wrist he'd received in the past. If that was the case then what could he do to repent? He'd do anything, he just didn't want Drestig to be mad at him. Not when he'd tried so hard to make the Old Man proud.

Askan should have known though, shouldn't he? As a moment later the Rye King broke the silence and began to laugh with an awful, mischievous grin on his face.Why...That little...Askan frowned and shot his alpha a-harmless- sour look. The Old Man was too jolly for his own good, always pulling Askan's leg whenever he got the chance. He didn't really mind the rapport they had between them, if anything it was more annoying that he always fell for it. Always.

As much as he wanted to be, the new-offical- Guardian couldn't be mad for long. And without him really meaning for it to, a big grin tugged at his lips.

"Thanks Old Man." It seemed as though Askan had a spot for Avalons. Not that he was complaining.

Askan should have seen this coming, or at the very least he should have realised sooner. Maybe it was because he wasn't overly fond of the albino-or fond at all really- but when he hadn't seen Icicle for a few days he hadn't thought anything of it. But when his scent began to turn stale and even more musty than it usually did the Guardian knew something was amiss. Askan had followed the most recent trail he'd left and to his surprise it led out of the gateway and off north into the tundra.

He'd never returned, so Askan felt as though it was safe to assume he'd just wandered off north, without even a single word.

So to say that the Selwyn was frustrated, appalled and perhaps most of all disappointed, would be accurate. How many wolves had it been now that had vanished without a word? Four, five? Even Remington hadn't been seen for the past few days. And Percy...Well off adventuring or not she had left them. Like everyone else seemed to.

Were the Rye wolves cursed? Just when Askan had thought there was peace and stability it seemed as though their pack's foundations were already cracking.

Pacing back and forth outside the communal den, Askan's emotions struggled for control of his expression. His concern was clear-not for Icicle of course, that traitor could die for all he cared- and yet his eyes blazed with such an intensity it was surprising that the snow didn't melt beneath his gaze. What were they going to do? With the pups on the way surely it would be an uphill struggle... Were the five of them strong enough?

Askan gritted his teeth as he stalked back and forth, every muscle in his body coiled tight and tensed. Even when he heard the sound of someone approaching he didn't stop to see who it was, let alone greet them. It was all too much, he felt frayed, raw. Like someone had pulled on a string at the edge of a beautiful tapestry and caused it to unravel. Hundreds upon hundreds of hours wasted. And even if someone somehow managed to put it back together it wouldn't be the same, it'd be a poor replica, an echo of something lost.

Would the same thing happen to Wild Rye Fields? Had all of their effort gone to waste? Was Askan a fool for believing the Old Man, for thinking he could somehow change fate?

He wasn't sure what hurt more, the idea of loosing everything he'd worked so hard for, or the fact that he'd allowed himself to get lulled into a false sense of security. Nothing lasted forever and yet he wanted more than anything for their legacy to remain. It seemed as though, yet again, it was not to be. He didn't even know why he bothered.Maybe Reyes was right, packs were overrated. Not worth the effort.

The more he thought about it, the more his throat began to hurt, as though it was being constricted, squeezed by some invisible force. And then he couldn't ignore Adelayde any longer. She was up in his face, pressing herself against him in a strange, if not tender embrace.

It wasn't bad per se, after all Adelayde was a friend-even if he wouldn't word it as such. But at the same time it wasn't her touch that he wanted. Perhaps he should have said as such, or at the very least made it plain and clear but he didn't. He didn't say anything or even physically react. He just stood there and took it, like how a meek pup would silently take punishment. He felt her rest her chin on the back of his neck and the only thing he could think of was that it didn't feel the same, that Reyes did it better. That he smelled nicer too.

And then it was over and Askan still stood there, stone still as she pulled away and spoke to him, her words tough and yet somehow still soft.

Blinking, Askan responded in the only way that popped into his head. "Yeah."

Askan’s energy had been weird for the past day or two – maybe longer, though he’d been less concerned at first. He loved the man, but he was prone to mood swings; so was Reyes, he didn’t judge. But the prolonged anxiety was starting to great on the swarthy wolf, and he went off for a few hours by himself. Marking the boarders left the man with a sense of satisfaction; more importantly, it burned off some of his desire to move, too. If there was a problem with living in a pack, is that he was expected to return every time he left – though the same couldn’t be said for many of the others in the pack.

The wolf snorted softly, aware the abandonment was probably some of his mate’s problems. Moving back towards the pack den, Reyes began to formulate a plan. They’d go on a hunt. The prize they found while south couldn’t be returned. It’d be useful, and it’d get Askan’s mind of the bullshit—

“¿Qué carajo es esto?” he barked, his lazy lope becoming much more hurried. Who the hell did Adelayde think she was, rubbing all up on Askan like that? She was gonna make him stink! “Oi, puta! Back off!”

With time passing slowly as it was you'd think Askan would have been able to put the pieces together in no time at all. But try as he might he just couldn't. It was as though he had them in his grasp and yet they just wouldn't slot together, and if by some off chance that they did he couldn't make sense of the picture they formed. It just didn't make sense. All he could think about was how angry he was, how betrayed he felt. There was little room for much else. Her words didn't soothe him, if anything they were background noise, the staticky sound he heard when he'd hit his head a little too hard.

So why then was Adelayde grumbling? And more pressingly why was she speaking in Reyes' language, in a tone that was remarkably similar to how- Askan blinked and then turned his neck a little. Ah, that made sense. They weren't alone any longer. Reyes had joined them in the clearly and he looked...Remarkably pissed. It was impressive actually how he managed to compile so many feelings into one long stare, but really that was aside the point for as quickly as he had arrived he turned to leave. Though not before Askan spotted a-devastating- look in his eyes. The sort that made his feet move without him telling them to.

Without even paying her any mind, Askan left Adelayde standing alone in the clearing and followed after his mate with haste in his step. He wasn't exactly sure what was running through the Southerner's mind, but he knew he didn't like to see that look and he wanted to do whatever he could do to make it go away, to make it better.

"Reyes, wait up."Askan called as he trotted alongside him and planted himself in his path so he had to come to a stop. He almost regretted it immediately as the the look he saw was not...Good."...You're mad at me?"