His eyes roamed the area where Kinis’ whereabouts had last been most obvious. It hurt – the pain he felt for his missing brother was indescribable, and try as he might to focus his attention to his mate and their unborn children, Ruiko would find himself coming back to the specific area over and over, day in and day out. The patches of blood and fur were gone now – likely washed away from the rain and hoarded by birds to create nests for their young. As thankful as he was for the sight to be washed away, it only stirred on the knowledge that he had nothing left of his brother to remember him by. One day he had been here, the next he had been taken from them.


The lure of Nina’s beckoning howl stirred him from his thoughts. Licking his lips with reality swarming back to him, the Leader pushed himself up to a stand, his paws treading to the area that demanded his attention and duties. Moments passed, and as the tawny male came upon the two she-wolves, his eyes would drift from the familiar form of their healer to a stranger, his stoical mask releasing nothing to either of them. “Friend of yours, Nina?”

At his presence, Nina lowered her muzzle and tail, drawing forward the male as he bent his muzzle down to lick her gently between the ears in acceptance to her. He knew only a little about her, but she seemed to spend much of her time building the pack for the better, especially with her collection of herbs and plants she used for healing. While Kanosak and Volkan had both been given some basics by Elettra, the she-wolf from Grizzly Hollow, they were still very inexperienced, and Ruiko was grateful to have a wolf of such knowledge among his ranks.


Ruiko listened to Nina, though his gaze slid back over to the stranger she had brought home. The defensive rise of her hackles stirred his figure straighter, and as her lips pulled back to reveal her teeth. His own lips mirrored her action then, and stiff legged and raised to his full height, the dominant male stalked forward, unimpressed with her threatening stance. “Your gift is appreciated but your attitude isn’t,” he warned lowly, his tail giving a lash as he allowed the she-wolf one last chance to submit.. else he’d chase her off his land with something to remember him by.

The blooming days of spring seemed to run together now, in the wake of her brother-in-law's disturbing disappearance. A wilderness once touched by the spirited presences of the family who'd come to call the location ' home,' Copper Rock Creek had been broken, and the effects of trauma that the pack had come to endure resonated at every bend.

It absolutely broke her down - watching quietly as, day in and day out, Ruiko grieved in relative silence. In addition, the pack's numbers had somehow dwindled, adding to the pressures she'd entertained since becoming a proud, expecting mother. A sense of guilt pulsed through her veins. Thanks to the collective efforts of her family members, the leadess remained well fed as the little souls in her growing belly now stirred. But she was hungry, starving for companionship and the need to fulfil her desire to mantle a dynasty to last for generations.

This thought alone was on her mind lately, and so she trailed Ruiko this day, hoping, at least, to extend her support while acquiring some comfort for her own.

Eventually, the tawny shewolf would find a fresh trail, the sultry scent filling her lungs like a breath of fresh air, and soft, honey-hued eyes would fall upon the group in the distance. Ruiko was clearly recognizable, like the copper stones against the dark pebbles of the creek bed, accompanied by the pack newest addition, Nina. A third wolf stood before the King of the Creek wolves; a female, tawny not somewhat unlike herself, obviously emaciated as was apparent from the short distance that hid Aeylen as she onlooked. An ear would flicker forward while the other, trained, listened to the air at her back as she attampted to catch some of their words. In a moment things looked to took a dangerous turn, and the show of posture between the Tainn and the stranger would have sent a chill down her spine, were she in a lighter mood. From her objective perspective, it was clear that the rogue was frightened, overshadowed by Ruiko's intimidating physique and gestures. The flicker of a smile played on her lips briefly at the thought before her expression faded to stone - to her, Ruiko was a gentle giant, but to those who didn't know the man, he was what nightmares are made of.

A distant growl abruptly silenced her thoughts as her weight and ears snapped forward to lay gaze to the female's defensive advance on her mate. The adrenaline rushed through her body as fast as her strides pulled her closer to them all in a furious sprint. She was not going to tolerate a shred of violence now, in the wake of Kinis' disapperance and while her pregnancy was full fledged. A deep snarl lulled in the alpha's throat as she slid rigidly, tactfully into the midst of the matter.

"Enough!" Her words were firm, the resolve of her tone carrying the iron assertion that was, truly, one of her better qualities. She would display her menacing canines immediately to the unknown female as her plush tail fell into position high above her back, eyes locking fiercely to frightened gaze of the wayfarer before falling upon Ruiko. She was certain that he would kill the female if he chose, but the last thing that she would allow to happen here was further bloodshed. Not today.