He made his way across the heights steadily, the female close to his side. He fought back a growl as she bumped into him yet again. He got that the surface was uneven but he was almost convinced she was doing it on purpose for the physical contact. He had tried to get back to where he had left Athena but by the time he arrived there, she had gone, and he had to get moving if he was going to meet Rhysis. If she was interested, he was sure she would catch up.

Finally the ground was beginning to even out and he heaved a sigh of relief. The last time he had been here was with a crazy black female who had it in her head to play tag with a cougar. The cougars scent was long gone, and he wasn't surprised. After he had killed her cub she had little reason to hang around. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the female on his tail. He almost prayed that Athena had decided to trail them and would turn up soon, her quiet company was far more welcome than the clinginess of the pale female at his side.

i know it gets hard sometimes but i could never leave your side no matter what i say She wasn't in love with him yet, but she was convinced that he liked her and would remain her friend. For that reason she had followed him, hoping that he wouldn't abandon her and trying to avoid that at all costs. Ever since waking up with him that morning she had tagged along, determined to be his friend at the very least, if not more. "Where are we going, Val?" she asked, at the same time bumping her shoulder against his. The contact helped her believe that he was really there and it helped to ease the constant itch of the emptiness as it threatened to return. "You haven't told me anything." Prodding him from information about what was going on - she could tell something was up - was the only thing she could think of right now. A voice caught her attention and she turned mid stride, bumping into Valiant in the process, to look at the stranger who had spoke. It was a pale colored female, similar to herself. In Hawke's eyes this wolf was far prettier than she was, and because of that she was instantly a threat to her well being. What if she would steal away Valiant's attentions? No, there was no way in hell she would ever let that happen. That would mean she would be filled with feelings of emptiness and hurt, and she wasn't going through that again so soon after the last time, when her brother had left. Hawke's gazed turned into a glare. While she wasn't strong, she also wasn't a pushover and she was not going to put up with this female's shit, no matter who she was to Valiant. She had bared her teeth and was issuing a low growl from her throat. "Who's the bitch?" she asked, directing her question to both Valiant and the female. "And even more importantly, what does it want with you, Valiant?" If he knew this female he was going to be in some deep trouble, especially if he showed any feelings for her at all. Hawke wasn't getting pushed out of his life just yet. He was hers. 'cause if i wanted to go i would have gone by now but i really need you near me to keep my mind off the edge

Valiant could feel the impending headache even as he caught Athena's scent on the breeze. He turned on his sweetest voice and reassuring smile, focusing all of his attention on the pale wolf at his side, "Hawke, sweetheart, calm down. We're going to meet my friend Rhysis, he wants us to help him start a pack. I ran into Athena on the mountain before your beautiful singing drew me away. She wants to help us start a pack too."

He smiled at the fuming female who was quickly approaching and whispered in Hawkes ear so only she could hear, "Besides, what would I want with her besides numbers when I have such a beautiful wolf as you at my side?" He knew that all this mollycoddling was going to get old quickly, his muscles were already becoming burled like the trunks of old willow trees, but he had to keep telling himself he was doing this for his and Rhysis's benefit. Soon they would have their pack and they could discard the females once they had sufficient followers, until then he would need to take a leaf out of his friends book and build on keeping a more consistent act up, rather than the fleeting singular affairs he was used to.

He stepped closer to Hawke so their sides were touching, hoping it would be enough assurance for her that he hadn't forgotten she was there. He looked to Athena slightly guilty expression on his face. "I tried to go back and find you but you were gone. I had a feeling you had an excellent nose and was convinced you'd catch up, after all I'm not the fastest..." he added with a smile, trying to keep the peace. If he had to endure squabbling females the whole way to the Wildwood he would run back up the mountain and challenge a cougar. For some reason the thought of having his hide shredded by a cat was more appealing than the thought of enduring a bitch fight.

"Hawke, Athena. Athena, Hawke." he deliberately introduced Hawke first to try and put some of her hostility to bed, apology written clearly all over his face as he looked to the other female.

i know it gets hard sometimes but i could never leave your side no matter what i say How come he hadn't told her about this whole pack thing already? Or had he and had she just forgotten? Either way, she hadn't realized that they were planning on meeting other wolves. Part of her wanted Valiant all to herself, but if this was necessary then she supposed that she could go through with things. "A pack? How am I supposed to help with that?" He had mentioned this female being just a number to add to the pack. What did that make her? Would she just be a number too, or did she have some sort of value? Hawke pressed herself against Valiant, but she put her head up high with pride. There was no way she was going to be pushed around by this female, even if Valiant had met her first. "I'll say whatever I want," she responded to Athena defiantly. To Valiant she whispered, "I'm sorry, but I don't like her." She wanted things to work out for Val, but she wasn't sure she could get along with the white female. She still glared at Athena, perfectly willing to fight if she needed to. This female wouldn't be allowed to run things. Hawke was in charge. Valiant was hers, no one would take him from her. And she would remain in control if she had anything to say about it. Even if she didn't know much about what was going on. 'cause if i wanted to go i would have gone by now but i really need you near me to keep my mind off the edge

Valiant breathed a sigh of relief. He imagined she would have questions about her role in all of this and to be honest, at this stage he wasn't sure. "That's why we have to go and see Rhysis." he said, ignoring her comment about not liking the other female. Maybe if she didn't like her enough she would stop being so damn possessive and be on her way. His internal thoughts went unexpressed, his calm facade completely masking the turmoil that was boiling inside. Stupid, stupid, stupid... all the signs were there, why didn't he follow his head instead of his... well...

He rolled his shoulders in an attempt to free up some of the pent up tension in his muscles. "Shall we continue on our way then?" he asked almost hopefully. The last thing he needed was the girls trying to rip each others throats out...yet. It could make for an interesting display...

i know it gets hard sometimes but i could never leave your side no matter what i say Hawke nudged Valiant's shoulder with her muzzle, trying to regain his attention. "You won't leave me, will you?" she asked her voice soft but worried. She looked up at him, her eyes pleading. She didn't want to be alone. That was all. She didn't even care if he loved her. She just needed to be near someone. After that she all but ignored Athena, refusing to look at her or even acknowledge her presence. She would change her attitude when she could believe that the female was not a threat and when she had a reason to actually like her. Right now she just wanted to be reassured that Valiant wasn't going to leave her all alone. She waited, both for an answer from Valiant and for him to take the lead and show her where they were going, completely unsure about what was going on. 'cause if i wanted to go i would have gone by now but i really need you near me to keep my mind off the edge

Valiant smiled reassuringly at Hawke. "Of course not..." he knew he couldn't back that up. Creating a pack would be hard work and he hoped Rhysis would better explain to her if there was a need for them to separate for any extended time. He could foresee them needing to enter other packs to build up their strength and then Rhysis would need a female if he was going to lead them. His head hurt, he wasn't one for masterminding, thats what the black males strength was. He smiled to both females picking up on the tension and thinking the best way to dispel it was to get moving. He continued to move towards the wildwood, praying that once he got there he wouldn't have to wait long for the male to stubble across them once they got there. The tension was palatable.