Whitestone Monadnock in love with a ghost

He wished to learn more of the wolves who he now had the supposed honor of calling pack mates. He hadn't been here long but he had already spent copious amounts of time with @Craw, Wraith and that dark female. Her name was something he hadn't bothered to remember well, even if he should have. Perhaps once he could get a solid sleeping pattern he'd start putting more effort into things.

The poet had crept from the den that night. It was far too cramped for his liking but he had to fit in and hold up the grand appearance he knew he had. He had taken note of how many pale colored wolves there were here. All females (except for himself of course). Two missing most or part of their ear. He pondered if perhaps Craw was making a collection of them. But there was also equally dark coated wolves. It was hard to tell what had and was going on in this awkward group.

As his pale form sat on one of the many edges of the monadnock he looked out. While there were obvious reasons why this was a good place to settle he couldn't shake the strange feeling he got knowing a man who had fallen from a cliff had agreed to stay up so high. No matter what the reason was it didn't make sense. The stars comforted his troubled mind tonight, though. They shined so bright that he was rather amazed. He didn't outwardly show it but the way that they gleamed and covered the sky made him get that warm happy feeling. Perhaps it was a reminder of when things were still okay. Not that everything was wrong right now. In fact, things were going rather well for him. But things had been better, he had had better. It just meant when he got what he wanted the reward would be that much greater.

Yet a cool breeze distracted him from his silent plotting. The chill almost felt unusual. He knew he could still consider himself in the northern area but the coldness made him think of way back north. He wondered how cold it might be for someone who didn't hold as lush of a pelt as his own.

Off on his own sleep schedule, Wraith woke readily when he heard @Mittani pad from the den. When the male didn't return in short order, Wraith gave a soft sigh and stood to follow, careful not to rouse @Craw or @Morganna who had settled on either side of him. It felt great to be part of that sandwich again, though he usually made up one of the ends. He stepped over Odin and around Kara, staying well away from the numerous wolves he still hadn't taken the chance to meet properly.

Ascending the Monadnock, Wraith sat comfortably at the man's side in silence. While he didn't feel much like trading stories, he felt inclined to say something to help the male feel more at home. Any intentions on his part were still unclear to Wraith. Did he plan to stay? Was this joining simply a convenience while visiting or did he intend to integrate into the pack like any other?

He wouldn't stay if he didn't understand the heart of it, of that, Wraith was sure.

"There was a bad storm the night we came to this place. Morganna, Craw's mate," he clarified, "was due at any time and went into labor in the midst of the storm. The water kept rising and we had to find higher ground. She ended up having Kara and Odin up here." The Northerner smiled kindly. "This place choose us."

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

He was no longer alone but his eyes didn't move from looking outwards. The arctic wolf had spent enough time with the giant to know it was him. He would have been fine with sitting in the silence but for some reason @Wraith felt the need to clarify why they were here. "She must be a good one." His voice was smooth and perhaps as cold as the breeze. There was little emotion to the pale wolf as he sat there. A blank slate to say the least.

"Anyone give you trouble out here?" If Wraith wanted conversation then Mittani was going to ask what he wanted to know. "Or does being in such a dangerous area leave the pack to do what it pleases, where it pleases?" The poet was curious if he might find trouble that lurked through the tundra. He was well equipted to taking care of pesky problems but he was also faced with the issues of having to play by Whitestone Monadnock's rules. Craw wouldn't deprive him of such fun though, would he?

Mittani briefly looked over to the dark giant before his eyes returned to the stars. He had to admit that the man was a good one. A loyal one too obviously.

"She is," he agreed with a smile. His relationship with Craw and Morganna was not was easily explained to an outsider. Wraith was sure those who had been in the pack since its founding were uncertain on how the three of them functioned. But it worked for them and he felt no need to defend the strangeness of it. Saying no more on the subject, the Second was willing to sit there in companionable silence.

At @Mittani's questions, Wraith tilted his head to the side in consideration. "A pack to the south of here - White Fir Notch - was giving us some trouble. Nothing we couldn't handle. Bickering, mostly, as far as I recall. But I'm sure @Craw has made an entire list of allies and enemies abound. He's never idle." It is said with gentle affection and a small shake of the head. Exasperation would follow, he well knew, as soon as he was informed of all the happenings that he would have to smooth over. Leaving Craw and Morganna to mediate their own arguments with other packs was hardly the best of ideas. The pair of them could be as volatile as a cornered rattlesnake.

"I think our problem now is the problem of most packs; Winter. The Lowlands are usually ripe with game, but they seem almost barren now. Craw wouldn't allow Whitestone to overhunt. Something else is driving the herds farther away," he mused almost to himself. He returned his gaze to the male and smirked. "But we're mountain wolves. We'll handle it."

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

"It's mostly just one wolf," he admitted, frowning with annoyance at the thought of her. "The Alpha seems a decent fellow. But the one, Sylva, she's got no understanding of really anything and no sense her mother gave her. Harmless, but..." he paused and shook his head, trying to come up with the right word. "Unbelievably stupid," he settled on. His brows lifted while his mouth pulled into a taut line. "She talks to trees."

While his irritation with the asinine female could be endless, Wraith let it dissipate as they moved on to better topics. His view on winter was similar to his own,causing the brute to smile. How much did they have in common? It seemed an appreciation for the stars was among them.

"They do," he assured. "Every now and then, you'll see the Ancestors dancing above. They light up the sky with wild color from dusk until dawn, and sometimes longer still." It was always his favorite part of winter, when the show occurred most often. But the rare instance it happened in summer - the first he'd seen since they arrived on the Monadnock - truly wowed him. "You didn't have a good view back north?" He recalled his own family's views in the highlands had been wonderful. Of course, they'd lived on top of a mountain side, so there was nothing obstructing their view.

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

Though he knew @Mittani to be teasing, Wraith sneered with clear and obvious distaste. "There is nothing dangerous about Sylva with concerns to this pack. It is her own pack that I would consider at risk from her incompetence." His care for this subject was nonexistent. The last wolf he wanted to discuss was the babbling black female who was more comfortable discussing life and its mysteries to trees rather than her own species.

It was strange to Wraith how quickly he'd caught on to the white wolf's quirks. Where others would see a sharp tongue and nasty attitude, the northerner had come to learn was only humor. He found he didn't mind it and rather enjoyed the male's company. He could see how much he had in common with "Craw" and what had drawn the spider-faced male to him in the first place.

While the conversation shifted to the lights in the sky and the view from the Monadnock, Wraith smiled and nodded his agreement. "It is quite the view. Makes you feel powerful standing here on top of the world and watching the herds on the lowlands. Like you are king."

The black male lapsed into silence as was usual for him. Wraith preferred quiet company to long, drawn out conversations. But curiosity demanded he ask the question bouncing around in his head. "Will you stay, do you think? After the others get here, will you stay or move on?"

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

Mittani did not miss the obvious distaste in that sneer. The pale Morelli was simply being honest. If the giant couldn't handle it then boo-hoo. Mittani and the world didn't give a flying owl what you thought. He pitied a grown man who wasn't already aware of that fact.

He listened closely. His head bopped softly. "Like a king." the dark Wraith had said. Like wasn't the word Mittani would use for himself. The Morelli knew fully well he was a king and was nothing less than such a grand title. It would just take some time for all the other filthy beasts in this tundra to realize it. Once they did he'd be in the position he deserved. Ruling armies, hoarding treasures, and dueling out the justice that was needed. Despite all of these internal thoughts he simply looked over to his dark company. "You are absolutely right." A smirk tugged on his lips as his pale gold eyes returned to the lights. That would do.

There was a nice silence between them for a few moments. He was fine with leaving it at that but it appeared his companion had something to say. "I'm not sure." His shoulders shrugged. "Depends on how things go." The pale Morelli was content to leave his answer at that. He wasn't fond of giving solid answers to questions he was unsure of.

Wraith was no fool. While @Mittani was an old friend of @Craw's, he was under no obligation to remain under his rule. The white male was an Alpha in his own right, having helped lead the pack up north even if he never garnered the actual title. His personality was not one well suited for taking orders, Wraith imagined, but perhaps his loyalty to Craw was as unbreakable as Wraith's own. Only time would tell. But in the mean time, he found he would rather enjoy his company than mingle with the other wolves of Whitestone, too many of which he did not know.

When the male answered with more honesty than Wraith expected, he found new respect for him. Hopefully the male would remain so bluntly honest and not leave him guessing at his motives. Though it had been some time since he had been around the pack, Wraith still took his duty as Second very seriously. He was the pack's defense from any threats, foreign or domestic. He'd rather not have to mete out justice to a packmate, especially one he liked so much.

"Fair enough," the male rumbled, appreciative of the answer. "Time will tell."