Valiant stretched out in the faint winter sun in the heart of his new packs territory. He was safe here and even though it had only been a short while, stressed ache of his muscles was already lessening. He knew he would have to go and find her shortly, and spend some time explaining his actions and bending over backwards to try and get her back on side and his head throbbed with the prospect. The things he did for that wolf... Rhysis would owe him.

He could hear someone approaching but remained in his relaxed position. The mingled scent already told him it was probably a member of his pack, and if not, then it would be ok for him to retaliate on any attack. He was a little underweight but he was still a big boy. "You're terrible if you're trying to be sneaky..." he said lazily through half closed eyes, leaving his head facing forwards. He was comfortable and sick of jumping before asking how high to keep Hawke happy. He almost wished things were back to the way they were before he met Rhysis. Almost...

I'll be damned, the dark one thought to himself. As it were, he'd been eagerly mapping out the territory, memorizing the slew of fresh, novel scents that had brought some life to Cedarwood Forest. A female here, a male there...Muzzle to the ground, the Guardian had his work cut out for him. However, his original goals were overshadowed by a new task upon uncovering a trail of a scent he'd come across recently: that of the buff man with the sickening, wandering eyes. Who was this guy? And what was he doing here? Had Jaysyek accepted him into their ranks?

Quickly on the prowl, and with ears glued to his wide skull, Kade stalked forward. Surely he'd not failed in his patrol, a task he took more seriously than, perhaps, need be? As the brute briefly considered any and all possibilities concerning the relatively unfamiliar male's reason for being here, it was instinct that told him he was one of them now. Moreover, all the more reason to seek him out.

Navigating with ease over the frostbitten terrain, it was only a matter of time before the newcomer's figure could be seen in the distance. Adopting a slow and steady pace, a hard gaze fell upon the man. He was, indeed, quite large as he lay, stretched into a relaxed posture. Before him stood a female, yet another unknown, whose antagonizing words were, in context, a bit humorous, though he had no idea what exactly their conversation entailed.

And so his emergence was slow and steady as he openly made his presence known, approaching the pair with an uncharacteristic smirk drawn across his dark facade.

Stopping only a couple of yards shy of the wolf where he lay, his attention yet to fall upon the female, the cold, smooth silver of his narrowed gaze fell upon the subordinate with a dark fascination. "Well, well..." Look who managed to slither his way closer and closer. A flashback of the way he'd watched Jaysyek that night played in the man's mind as he took the scene in.

It almost seemed as if peace was too much to ask. "You again..." he said with a sigh to the female. He just hoped she would keep her distance, one more female scent was the last thing he needed right now. He would still have to worm his way back into Hawkes good graces. Before he had a chance to say anymore another wolf approached. Something tickled the back of his mind but he couldn't quite place it. There was something in the way the wolf was looking at him...

Already laying down, he couldn't get any lower so he lowered his ears and avoided eye contact in an attempted display of submission. It frustrated him to no end but he kept any hostility from his face. He wasn't very good at this pack stuff.

Though he was, inadvertantly, pleased by the male's submission, it was certainly a strange feeling to be held in such a regard. His ascent up the ranks was merely a bi-product of his new funtion, as a guardian to and for them all. Taking in a slow, quiet breath, the man couldn't really decide on an appropriate response for the question that followed the inquiry of his identity.

"I am Kade," was all the information he was opted to share of himself. Taking the place of Borden, huh? Not really, not at all. Firstly, Borden hadn't held his former position since his return, and Kade certainly was not replacing him. Replacing his former rank, perhaps, but only to complete what was now a satisfactory hierarchy. In reality - one that only he and Jaysyek, and Borden, knew - there was no replacing to be done. The past cannot be changed, and as the futures of the Hollow wolves were mysterious and out-of-reach.

"...My position is to ensure the safety of this pack, a novel role in Grizzly Hollow's history..." It was something he was very proud of, to have a place and a meaning. Shaking thoughts of the would-be love triangle from his mind, the Attaya male returned his attention to the curious female and her male counterpart, who rested silently. "What is your story, stranger?" Although the inquiry was posed directly at the shewolf, he thought, perhaps, the male would indirectly add an answer of his own. After all, since they were all living under the same roof, surely he would be willing to share.

Borden? It would seem the crazy girl had been here for long enough to get to know everybody and their ranks former or current. He had learned a little more of her from Rhysis, and while confused about the animosity she held for the younger wolf. He imagined foxes did things differently, which could explain her initial greeting of him in the tangled woods, which drew his thoughts to Jon. He wondered how the younger wolf was doing and if he had thought any further on the proposition he had put forward.

While he knew the question was directed towards Silver he felt he owed his new pack mate some morsel of information. "I'm hiding from a crazy female that attached herself to me in the mountains..." it was part if the truth, if not the whole truth. He knew he would pay for it sooner rather than later. She would track him down and he would spend time making it up to her, anything to keep her on side so they would have a female for their plans.

There was still something familiar about this male that he couldn't quite place...

Though it was not the reply he'd expected, he couldn't help but to laugh out loud, whole heartedly and a wide smile broke across his hardened face. "...Sounds like quite the predicament," the male added as an afterthought, envisioning an insane devil woman trailing his packmate through the snow during the nights.

As the female spoke her piece, the dark figure's mind went utterly blank. Talking to a male about something, huh? It was a vague answer, distinctly uninformative, and for a moment he was tempted to issue a sideways glance in the silver male's direction.

Still without a clue as to who these two actually were, Kade was driven to find out more about the man whose midnight encounter with Jaysyek he'd witnessed. If the leadess had accepted them into the pack, getting to know them both would be a good thing, right?...

"What is your name, womanizer?" he asked, a lighthearted tease to 'break the ice.'