The whole night. The whole, miserable night he had spent trailing across his pack land, looking for Naira. She had slipped off alone, Athena had missed her leaving and after traipsing across the mountain peaks in the early morning, the dark male now found himself in the spring coloured hues of the fireweed rise. An area he had not yet explored, but now was not the time for explorations. He had his female to find. His pregnant female. His female who he had asked to stay on their lands, to stay safe or at least travel with an escort- she had done nothing he had asked and now his temper was at its very peak. She was going to be in huge trouble when he caught up with her.

A dull ache filled his paws and legs. He needed to sit and rest but was unable to. He’d caught her scent, faint though it was, as it left their lands and back into the lore. It was a few days old... a few days since he had last seen her and was headed in the direction of their old home with the River wolves. He could only imagine what she was doing heading that way. He hoped she was just after her stupid herbs and plants, but a niggling feeling in his mind thought she might be returning home- leaving him and her own pack behind. He couldn’t be sure what her motives were, all he knew was he had to find her.

Upon the breeze tinkled the scent of another wolf. Female. Alone with no scent of the packs upon her skin. Perhaps she had seen Naira pass by this way? He increased his pace, though his body tried to protest and his long legs consumed the land beneath him, hot on the trail of the stranger. As his eerie grey eyes landed on the somewhat skinny wolf who explored the land he let out a short howl, a request to wait for him to catch up so that he might speak with her. He didn’t bother with the dominance act, there was no time to waste in trying to act high and mighty. Time was of the essence.

He was grateful to see after the next rise that the female had waited, and was making her way back towards him. She seemed agreeable enough; nothing showed displeasure in her posture. He slowed his pace to a trot, then to a walk and then halted before her. With a dipped maw he greeting he took a moment to test the air around her; certainly female, alone and rather famished by the looks of it; it was a shame he didn’t have the time to help her as he had Ava; she’d proven an asset to their pack and he was certainly not quite so wary of helping a stranger if it might benefit him. Still, now was not the time for being helpful, he had to find his mate before something terrible happened. They had so much pressure upon them thanks to himself. Two packs were after his head whilst a variety of wolves who had their own agenda would love nothing more than to see his rotting corpse. Naira, he female, would be a prime target if she bumped into the wrong wolf and what made it even worse, was that she was utterly unaware of the trouble that sought him out. She would quite happily be taken hostage without even realising what was happening. It was imperative that he found her sooner rather then later.

”I’m looking for someone. A female. Large. Silver in her colouring with long fur. About your age I think. Her name is Naira.” he said whilst trying to catch his breath. His legs were on fire, protesting against any more wandering today but he simply could not rest, not until he knew that she was safe. ”I don’t suppose you’ve seen her on your travels?” he continued on and allowed his grey gaze to meet her more natural coloured eyes, searching for answers and the truth. It wouldn’t surprise him if every wolf she bumped into, Naira would ask them to keep her location secret, especially if she was planning on running away. Her trail was going stale, he felt as if time was running out. Little did he knew she had simply gone out to collect herbs.

He took a moment to look at the female then. She was indeed a similar age to his Naira, but not quite as large. It was almost strange seeing a normal sized female, Naira was big, Athena was so very tiny. Both were sylph like in their own ways, but it meant that seeing an average height in a female was almost a relief to know they weren’t all either too big or too small. She had a good air about her, something kind perhaps in the way she had turned to help him. With any luck she’d have some information for him.

He was going out of his mind. As the stranger replied that she had not seen his female he felt another wave of exhaustion fall over him, so heavy did his limbs feel that his rear fell to the ground. Just a few minutes to rest. At the strangers suggestion, though helpful it might be, he shook his head. ”No... I cannot make her presence known by others. She might be in danger and letting others know she was lost and alone could bring her more trouble.” he snapped, more to himself then to her. The entire situation was driving him mad; if he ever saw her again he was certainly going to find a way to tie her to a tree or trap her within her den so that she couldn’t go wandering off again. She had no idea of the dangers out there and if meant that she would be safe then he would take those drastic measures.

With a glance back to the female, he offered a shake of his head. ”Sorry. I shouldn’t be snapping at you. I’m just tired and frustrated.” and on the brink of a rage, he could feel the red blood in him boiling with anger towards Naira and her stupidity. At times like this, he wondered why he put up with her, they were either arguing or so in love they couldn’t leave each others side- there was never an in-between moment for them. Their relationship was fierce, passionate and down right exasperating most of the time. Her offer to separate was kind enough, but it would be of no use, Naira could be anywhere and he didn’t want to get another wolf involved in her shenanigans. It was his business to bring her home... safely, he hoped.

”Thank you for the offer, but I should find her alone. I’m sure you’re a busy wolf.” he said before rising back to his four paws, despite how much they tried to protest he had to carry on. With another gaze over the female, he could only think of how similar her condition was to Ava when they had first met. Though the tyrant that he was told him to leave her be, she had been kind, and the influence Naira had on him was nagging him. ”No offense... but you don’t look in the best of shapes. I wouldn’t want to have you traipsing the land looking for a stranger.” he said as he rolled the ground beneath his toes, preparing to leave once more. With a glance to the sky then before he looked back to her, he then spoke once more with his southern drawl. ”Maybe you can help me get something to eat- we can share it. I need the energy to carry on and you need some meat on your bones.” he stated simply; not one for small talk, he always got to the point. Direct and grumpy, that was Rhysis all over.

Rhysis wasn’t one for physical contact. It simply wasn’t acceptable and as her nose casually bumped his cheek, he wanted to snap at her... but exhaustion was setting in and he was so very tired, he simply didn’t even react. Feeling a little ill however, he pushed past the feeling as she agreed to help him hunt. A good meal. It would give him time to rest his limbs whilst he ate, and filling his belly would mean he could travel further into the lands to search for Naira. He had a strong suspicion of which way she went- back to the River wolves and the forest they dwelled in. If he bumped into one of the River wolves he would need his strength, a fight could occur and he would need to be in the best shape he could be- even if it was just to run and fight another day.

He was grateful she seemed to get down to business. As soon as she accepted the offer to hunt she was off, following her nose, clearly on the trail of something. He took a moment to just breathe before he strode after her, keeping her pace no matter how sore his legs felt. She seemed to know which way to go and too tired to disagree he simply followed her obediently. It seemed she had a good nose on her however, further into the forest the tell tale signs of a deer herd littered the land. Broken twigs, clumps of fur and scat lead them to a grazing herd. A few young grazed next to their mothers, the lead stag was further back than the rest but he kept his head high on alert. Luck would have it that they were downwind and moving slowly, silently allowed them to get ever closer.

Having never hunted with this female, Rhysis allowed her to take the lead. There were a few possible targets, but perhaps a doe with a fawn would be best- she’d worry to ensure her child’s safety and not her own, leaving room for error. He didn’t want to setup a formation that she didn’t understand but he was willing to adapt to anything needed of him. He was sure he knew every possible formation and with the added benefit of his intelligent mind, he would be able to work out the plays before they even happening. Without a sound, he waited for her direction.

The silence between them was needed, and though it felt strange to take orders from a stranger now he had reign of his own pack, it had to be done. He could adapt to anything, take on any face, any persona, any order. The joys of being so intelligent made adaption for him like second nature and with her order to stay, he simply needed and moved himself to a denser area of shadows and scrub to conceal himself within. He was going to be bringing the animal down... he could only hope that his body would hold out for a little longer, give him enough energy to take down whatever ran his way.

Time stretched on. She was taking her time and rightly so, they only had surprise on their side at this moment. She wasn’t exactly in the best of health and whilst he might be fit and healthy, he was so very tired that this was going to be a one shot only deal. From the darkness where he hid, the ground began to shake. Beating with the rhythm of hooves as the terrified animals fled. Only then did he move forwards, his nose, ears and eyes working together to pick a target. As a flurry of movement flashed past him, he waited. Towards the back a doe, slower than the others ambled along. As she drew closer he leapt from the cover of shadows and landed squarely on her pack. It was times like these he was so grateful for his gangly long legs, it made hooking his claws into the animal that much easier.
With the surprise and the extra weight, the deer crashed to the side, landing awkwardly upon the floor. With a final burst of energy, he snapped his jaws around the creature’s neck, cutting off her air supply until the light died in her eyes and her screams and body fell still. His energy spent, he nearly collapsed onto the doe, but pushed himself to move to the side so that the female might dine as well. He might be a villain, but he had morals and ethics too. She had helped, she could eat. With nothing more to say, he tucked in to the flesh of the beast.