He was going insane, he just knew it and he needed out. The naturally aggressive male had begun to feel the familiar changes within his body from the gradual surge in his testosterone levels warranting the dark agouti brute to increase his already frequent sprays of urine along the borders to finding the female population of the pack slightly more appealing than usual, the tantalizing perfume and signals they were beginning to broadcast and stain the territory with not helping his case. Eirian normally found none of the women attractive in the least considering none of them were of pure eastern timber descent, yet he couldn't suppress the feral urge to assert his dominance over the other males to deter them from daring to try anything foolish and provide his company to the heat riddled vixens. Often this only led to him receiving snaps of disapproval. Their scents portrayed one story, but their actions told another. The entire ordeal was maddening!

Thus today powerful cream limbs sought a place untainted by the smell of estrus enraged females all too eager to bite his face off and offered relief to the heat that pooled in the pit of his stomach among other places. His spontaneous journey eventually leading the young male in his prime to a portion along Relic Lore's Red Fern Forest's borders unexplored by the temporary Pines patriarch. Before him laid a small serene valley with an assortment of trees that varied from the familiar cedar and redwood that created a vast majority of his home, the first pink blemishes beginning to grace the once barren canopies. Curious, Eirian descended along one of the oddly worn paths leading down through the border of trees while russet hued audits listened attentively to his unknown surroundings.

At first the leisure drop into the valley provided nothing of interest for the man. Ebony nose snuffling at various root systems, holes and crevices that could have once housed wolves, but any indicating scents that could have revealed the history of this place long since erased with time only to be covered by the stench of coyotes and other minor predators that claimed the old dens for themselves. Various scat piles scattered about proof enough of their presence. Only when the most peculiar of scents filled his nostrils, though, did his interest pique exponentially. Inhaling deeply there was no mistaking it was wolf by nature, but what fascinated the Asurn the most was the delicate hint of heat beginning to make its appearance. Casually a coral tongue glided across the expanse of his lips, paws following the fading scent trail towards its source. Hadn't he been trying to avoid females today hence the reason for this escape? And just when he thought he was in the clear.. Damn these women!

Head lodged within the confines of yet another abandoned den littered with nothing but the remnants of shed fur long ago and the stench of coyotes from more recent days, the excited yip that registered came as quite the surprise to Eirian. Receding from the empty burrow, tangerine optics scoured the surrounding landscape for signs of the yips creator with little luck until a pitch black smudge caught his attention on the neighboring horizon, the angle of the gentle breeze and his current location in correlation to the figure preventing him from discovering the other wolf sooner. Was this whom he smelt so sweetly on the air?

Curiosity pumped through his veins as muscled creamy limbs surged forth to interject this stranger's path, a bark of his own bouncing off the magnolia trees and their blossoming foliage to reassure the excited woman that she had been heard. Gradually the distance between them melted with each powerful stride the dark agouti male took, a pale brow quirking upward in further curiosity once enough of the figure became clear to notice the stub where a plush tail should have been situated. Now, what could have warranted that to happen? Eirian's curiosity was piqued at an all time high. "Hello there." A soft, masculine voice uttered from between his slightly parted lips, the charcoal dusted appendage at his rump lifting to flag above his rear in a neutral display of greeting.

A rounded ear twitched idly at the cooed back greeting, chiseled frame remaining motionless in its place as the smaller built woman rapidly approached with an eagerness to dive her coal black nose into the rusty strands of fur that adorned his body. Eirian's own snout allowing only a minor brush to her side in passing to acquire what knowledge he hadn't already deciphered from a visual standpoint. The now strengthened aroma that lingered heavily upon her pelt due to their close proximity warranting a seeping warmth into the pit of his stomach and an unwelcome twist of his gut that reminded him he had to tread carefully for anything could happen when one allowed the lust of the season to guide their every whim. It was much too soon to foolishly spread the Asurn bloodline into these parts.

Only when the shadow at his side suddenly reigned her energy in a fraction to take a step back; no doubt a reaction to the concoction of other scents mingling with his personal cologne, did Eirian cast a blazing citrus gaze upon her swarthy countenance to gauge the reaction present. It seemed there was no shortage of energy for the older Timber female as her paws appeared incapable of holding their place upon the ground for any amount of time that exceeded a few seconds at most, her dark snout once more finding its way into the outer layer of his winter pelt. Finally a question fell from her mouth in regards to the scents that intertwined upon his pelt, rounded russet ears pricking forward while the female's own adopted a position toward the back of her skull. Body still writhing before him in whatever emotion possessed her in that moment. Did she ever stay still?

A hushed laugh left the dark agouti male shortly after her curious question, the faintest hint of a smile even daring to break the neutral expression his cream and russet countenance once held. "Indeed. I'm the lead male of a pack just a little ways North West from here, actually." Eirian informed, a tone of pride thickly coating his words at having the ability to utter such a glorious statement even if he was only a temporary patriarch. What the woman before him now didn't know couldn't hurt her. He was still a king in his own opinion. Having noticed no stench of others upon her own frame it left a question of his own to burn at the tip of his tongue until it was released, a brow quirking upward in curiosity. "Now what is a pretty little thing like yourself doing out here all by your lonesome?" The level of flirtatiousness was a bit much, but a woman loved to hear such sweet nothings did she not and in all honesty she was the first pretty thing he had seen in awhile. Her unmistakable, pure genetics inescapable to a wolf such as himself with an eye so well trained for spotting perfection. A true masterpiece she was.

A pained expression manifested itself onto the smaller wolf's facial features not long after his question was asked, russet ears momentarily finding themselves pressed backwards having brought on such pain to such a beautiful creature. Soon enough, though, she began her woeful tail of how she came to find this place and a rounded ear listened intently to each word uttered while brightly lit gaze studied her every action. Every syllable that dropped off her sweet salmon tongue was followed by a further display of submission until Eirian could feel the course strands of her stark black fur brush against the creamy counterparts of his toes. Oh what a beautiful sight it was to see her in all her submissive glory, bowing down to him the regal king. A shiver almost coursed its way along his spine as he had thoughts of asserting his dominance over her during her moment of vulnerability, but self control kept his body in place while he continued to watch her, jaws clamped shut in silence until her last statement caught his attention.

So she wanted family, hm? A wry smirk tugged subtly at the corner of his ivory furred lips. In his power, Eirian could easily provide such a gift to the woman at his feet. A broken, dysfunctional family in his opinion of the Pines wolves, but regardless of their flaws they could still serve a purpose. Even if they merely allowed him a temporary location to gather his flock of followers, it was a start. His quest here had only just begun after all and it would appear that Eek could possibly be his first recruitment. The wry smirk soon twisted into a feigned frown, coaxing as much pity as he could muster into his voice, adopting a honeyed tone. "Oh you poor thing. How unfair of mother nature to tear you apart from them." Pausing his words, his skull lowered to nuzzle the top of his snout against the fur of her chest as if the motion could sooth her pain. Like he really cared. "Why don't you come home with me, hm? I can give you a better life than living out here all alone. I can give you a new family." Bait laid on the table Eirian peeled his head away and took a couple steps back to give the woman room to stand should she wish to. Anticipation of her hopefully yes answer he would receive internally making the patriarch feel like a kid waiting for a glorious surprise.

And indeed it seemed that a yes was to be her answer as Eirian stepped back to give the elder woman room to adjust herself, rounded ears pricking forward when she began spewing her acclaimed knowledge of herbs. A fact the dark agouti man would have snorted at had the dark coated woman not been deemed a valuable asset to his brewing plans. Back home there was no need for such practices the old, injured and weak granted one of three choices; be chased out from the pack, be executed, or leave of their own free will which was the more honorable choice, but each inevitably spelling out their own doom. Here, Eirian would hold his future pack to the same standards. Nothing less would be acceptable.

But for now he had to keep the woman on his side, nodding appropriately when she praised herself for having survived this long; having already taken note of her age upon their first few seconds of greeting. Eek would only serve as a valuable pawn for him for a year or two at most, but that was still long enough to be her saving grace.

Then a question of her own flitted off inky lips and at first the Asurn wanted to laugh in her face at such an idea. He be mates with Iopah let alone have children with her?! It took quite the dose of self control to keep his face stoic following her inquiry. Subtly he shook his head, dragging his tongue over his partially dried lips before answering upon her question. "No, I'm afraid there will be no children this season that I am aware of considering I do not have a mate and as for the lead female her mate is nowhere to be found, but there are children from last year present."  In all honesty Eirian was quite glad there was to be no cubs this year. No cubs meant no abominations he would be forced to care for. "But how about you follow me back and see them for yourself? I'm Eirian, by the way." He tagged on last second, body shifting to prepare to turn and head back only after he was satisfied that she would be following. It would be a slow, agonizing trip back with her smelling so sweet and all. A true test of his abilities to avoid temptation.