As the days passed, the event of his sister's attack upon his borders and his dearest friend marched further into the past without a single sign of the possibility of recurrence. Yet he didn't feel it was any safer to slacken the security he'd strove to stack upon the front lines. After all, Vitani wasn't the only threat out there. While few knew of Round Stone Crest's position, those who did manage to root it out were not to be trusted. Not with Ari, Draven and Kino so mobile and adventurous. Not with Raela still unsure of her own capabilities, or the yearlings so thoroughly untrained on matters of self defense, and surely not with the foreboding of Lugh's sudden and unexplainable disappearance.



Vigilance seemed to fall squarely upon his own and Astraeus' shoulders, and that still wasn't enough. The numbers of his pack needed bolstered, new blood had to be let in, but how could he allow such a thing when it was so easy for strangers to deceive? The overprotective father couldn't imagine allowing a wolf he didn't know from Fenrir even get a whiff of his adopted children, much less sleep next to them at night and be responsible for their safety and health. It all wounded together into a very intricate and specific problem, that he needed to solve nonetheless.



Thus far, he had been able to stave off the many possibilities thanks to the sheer lack of activity around his domain. Today, however, would unfold another way. As the blue black leviathan wove his way through the trees, the breeze picked up and delivered to him a scent that was far too close to his home, that was utterly strange, and that was completely wolf. With a snap of his jaws, he picked up his pace, tail immediately rising to flag his dominance stiffly behind him high in the air. It was only moments between his initial awareness of the other's presence and his approach. Glacial blue eyes shone hard, making it clear that he would not tolerate any foolishness.



Still, he had to admit, the other man already had him puzzled, which also caused him to be all the more suspicious. The other man was just sitting there, staring as though confused on what to do. Gent eyed the morsel at his paws, and thought perhaps he had brought an offering; perhaps he was here to ask for shelter among their ranks. Yet then, why hadn't he called out for anyone?



"The hell're you doing?" he asked bluntly, the only way to really answer all these damned questions swimming in his already busy head.

There was a certain length of patience within the blue black mammoth today, and from the start he could see that despite this generosity the wolf before him might come swiftly close to crossing a line with him all the same. Yet there was also something intriguing about this oddball who sat so nonchalantly at his gates, something that stirred the yearling within the king who had fallen dormant since laying claim to this pack. It was this unexplainable string plucking alone that earned the other man an extra yard with Gent.



"Yes," he answered concisely before allowing silence to befall them once again. He was looking the other man over, scanning his features for information. They were about the same age it would seem, yet this stranger was smaller than him, which gave Gent all the more confidence and ease. If this encounter did turn sour, it was certain in the leviathan's mind that he could break the man in two before he got so much as a toe into his domain.



Assured to be dominant, Gent then worked a little bit harder to find this stranger's strengths. What use did continuing this interview have for him, versus chasing the lackadaisical observer away? The sovereign couldn't be certain that there was any at all, and still he pursued it.



"What's so admirable?" What exactly were you contemplating doing?

His response started out normal, mildly flattering which always had a way with the arrogant king, and then it all went downhill. Or perhaps up? Gent wasn't entirely sure what to make of it, what to expect nor how to feel about this other man. On a different day, this might have caused the leviathan to dismiss the wolf before him, snarling at his heels and expelling him from his mountains. Instead, he found the oddity somewhat easing. Confident that he could turn his back without worry of any sort of retaliation he couldn't overcome, his guard slackened enough to let a chuckle escape his throat.



"You're a strange fucker," he commented, before abruptly turning to his left and resuming his journey on the circuit that made up his pack's border. "Come." The command was simple, and he didn't expect to be refused.



"What exactly are you changing from?" For the life of him, Gent couldn't tell. What the hell was this wolf? He wanted to find out, and hoped the man would continue to grace him with his quirky little tidbits. Hopefully, through the mess of twisted trivia, he'd be able to figure a thing or two out.

There was a high level of attentiveness required when listening to this beige colored man's words, yet even when his voice rushed the sentences on Gent found that he was able to grasp what was being said so long as he was diligence. He was finding the whole practice rather enjoyable, having always attempted to pursue matters which would exercise his brain more than his muscles. As things were, he more listened than spoke, allowing this man his ramblings while he enjoyed the simple refreshment of something novel.




"Then your demographic must exist somewhere, yes?" he interjected, wanting to further ask if the man still thought himself natural when comparing himself to the experiences of his own upbringing. Perhaps it had been his childhood that molded him into something so peculiar, but Gent would rather think he was more likely just wired in a very different way. However, the ice pelted man had plenty more to say, and the king would not let his inquiries spoil the trajectory of this conversation.



As the words 'I'm so adorable' entered the air, the man speaking them very much serious, Gent let out a deep, genuine laugh; a first for the king in quite some time. Yet this mirth was short lived as the Dahling wolf as spoke of a 'blood price' and from there, the encounter swiftly spiraled downward. The blue black beast halted abruptly, waiting for the last of Gunnar's utterances to dissipate from the air before turning to face him. For a moment, he leveled him with nothing but scrutiny. With his strange pattern of diction, this confession could have meant several very different things, and Gent nearly attempted to decipher between them. Ultimately, however, he decided that it very much did not matter, for the risk of it all was too great.



Those arctic eyes hardened like immovable glaciers, while a test-me smile wormed its way onto his black lips.



"I'd greatly support such change, but I hope you understand that given what you've just told me, I have to lay down a rule between you and me. If you step paw into my domain, toward my children, I will tear your tongue out through your throat. Understood?"



His eyes then searched Gunnar's, truly seeking to know if he did indeed comprehend the gravity of what Gent had just decreed. Perhaps he should have chased the boy off anyways, but something in the king wanted to learn more about this odd little man.